


Welcome to the Wayne Manor

by Selina_2000



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: DC Comics Rebirth, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, New 52, Oral Sex, POV First Person, Sibling Incest, Smut, Swearing, batfam, i am tagging it as non-con because better be safe than sorry, reader is tim's twin, tim is really sweet and I love him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-06-06 08:19:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15190679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selina_2000/pseuds/Selina_2000
Summary: Y/N is Tim Drake twin sister. At night, she fights crime as Flamebird, and she catches the attention of the Red Hood, a ruthless vigilante willing to kill._____I stopped writing it, so it's unfinished. Sorry about it, but I just don't feel like continuing it, although I love the characters and the story so far, I just don't want to write this anymore.____Hey guys, I'm back! I'm re-writting the old chapters, and might update with new ones soon. I'm trying not to chance much of the plot, just fixing the formatting (and some things that didn't add up)





	1. Can't Pin Me Down

**Author's Note:**

> 1: I know Flamebird is Elizabeth Kane in the comics, but she isn't exactly relevant nowadays, so I took the alias.  
> 2: I am basing it on the New 52 and on DC Rebirth.  
> 3: For this fic ages are:  
> Dick Grayson/Nightwing: 19  
> Barbara Gordon/ Batgirl: 18  
> Jason Todd/Red Hood: 17  
> Tim Drake/Robin & Reader: 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all begins when Flamebird meet Red Hood. He represent everything she hates, and yet she can't forget him. Now there's no way back.

“And what do you think?”, I said as I twirled to show off my suit. Black over-the-knee boots, a brownish-yellow leggings, a skirt and a tight top, both in blood red, a black and yellow cape. As a mask, I had chosen a simple black domino one. I had been working on it since the day Batman agreed to train me and my twin brother. While Tim took the mantle of Robin, I decided to create a new alias, the one of Flamebird.

Tim came out of the dress-room, where he was finishing putting on his Robin outfit. Bruce gave a approving smile. I couldn’t help but feel happy, it had been half a year of training, but now we were ready to go on patrol.

“Ow! The Drake twins really have style.” A familiar voice shouted from the entrance of the cave. I turned around just in time to see Dick making a backflip, landing right in front of me. “Honestly, (Y/N), you look amazing as Flamebird. The criminals will run just from seeing you.”

“Yeah, because they will be blinded by the colors.” Tim remarked. Ugh, he could be an ass sometimes.

“Don’t listen to him, you look perfect.”

“Thank you, Dick”, I elbow my brother on his stomach, making him shout a fake pain cry. “And thank you for nothing, Timmy.”

“Bruce, I need to talk to you. It’s important”, the former Robin says. Grayson walks to Bruce and they go to the computers whispering about something. Clearly, they don’t want us knowing it right now, for Bruce looks back to see if we were still far away.

“Look who is all red”, Tim says playfully.

“Shut up.” It’s no secret to him that I have a little crush on Dick. Well, maybe more than a little. “You are just jealous that he didn’t compliment you too”, I snap back. It’s also no secret to me that Tim also likes him. What could we expect? We spent the last 4 years stalking Batman and Robin (and afterwards Batman, Robin and Nightwing) around the city, watching as they fought crime. Dick was very attractive, obviously we would eventually develop a romantic attraction towards him.

“I’m not jealous. Unlike some people, I don’t need everyone’s approval.”

“I don’t! And you know what? You are the worst brother ever!”, I say with a smile as a pull him into a hug.

* * *

It was the night of our first solo patrol, well, not exactly solo as we were two, but we weren’t being supervised by anyone. Batman was busy taking care of something very important, so important that he couldn’t risk taking us.

“It’s Robin and Flamebird!” A couple of thugs screamed as we appeared in the opening of the alley. One of them pulls out a gun at us, which I reply by throwing a batarang in his hand, making him drop it. Robin is quick in punching the other guy, and I kick the first one in the legs. We finish the job without getting more than two or three hits. We leave the criminals tied up and call the cops.

Back to the rooftops we sit appreciating the calm night. For the first time since I can remember, there isn’t any crazy dude running around Gotham killing people. Maybe Arkham finally figured out how the prisoners escaped and closed it.

“What do you think Batman is doing?”, I ask my brother. “What is it so important that we can’t go with him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe something with the League?”, he replies. I think for a while what he said.

“Nah, he didn’t took the helicopter or the plane. It had to be something in the city.”

“I meant the League of Assassins, not the Justice League”, he laughs, so quiet that barely could be hard. “There’s too many Leagues around here. Maybe we should create our own. The League of Sidekicks.”

“It does sound amazing.” This time, we both laugh loudly. So what if we are on duty? There was no one around to hear us. 

“But seriously, what do you think he is doing?”

“I have no idea. But maybe it has to do with all the secret research Di… I mean, Nightwing has been doing.” Sometimes, it’s hard for me to remember to use their superhero alias instead of their real names.

“It’s not so secret to me. It’s about the rumors that the Red Hood is back.” Of course, Tim had to be spying. Even now that we were part of the Bat-Family, he would still go around unnoticed looking for information to satisfy his curiosity. Though I couldn’t complain, for I did the same.

“But the Red Hood was Joker before he went all Joker, right? So, do you think that someone stole the identity?” We knew very little about the Joker. No one could figure out who he really was. We weren’t even sure that the Red Hood had actually been him.

“All I know is that someone is using the Red Hood outfit and going around playing bad-cop to Batman’s good-cop.” No way Batman was the good cop. But I knew what he was talking about. There had been a vigilante shooting criminals. That was wrong. No wonder Bruce wanted to stop the person.  _ If you kill them, you become them _ . That’s what he taught us from the beginning. “And that Batman is very interested in it.”

A loud crack took us away from our conversation. Back on the job, it seems. On the street behind the building in which we stood, a man was hitting a girl with what looked like a baseball bat. There was another crack and a female scream. We ran to help her, and with the agility that only could be gained training with Batman, we swung ourselves to the sidewalk, just in time to stop the third hit. While I kicked and punched the dude, Tim helped the girl up, and started to take care of her wounds.

“Thanks”, she said, her voice a bit shaken. “I… I never thought he was capable of this.”

“You would be surprise with what people are capable of”, I answered. “The police is on its way, but if you want, we can stay here until they arrive.”

“I don’t want to keep you from protecting the city.

“Flamebird”, my brother called, “why don’t we do like this, you go back to patrol, and I stay here with…”, he stopped waiting for her name.

“Lisa. My name is Lisa. And you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“Don’t worry, Robin takes every excuse he can to take a break”, I said playfully. I took my grappling gun out and, aiming for the top of a building, swung myself off the street.

“She’s just joking. I am a very skilled fighter.” I heard Robin say as I took off.

It didn’t take long to find another trouble. Two drug dealers were fighting for territory. They were just arguing, but it wouldn’t take long before they drew out their guns, and even if they didn’t try to shoot each other, I still needed to stop them. I jumped in the back of the first one, taking him by surprise and bringing him down. The other one froze for a few seconds, trying to understand what was going on, but before he could react, a bullet crossed through his head. He fell on the ground dead. I cuffed the dealer beneath me and look up to see from where the shot had come.

From the roof of a house, a man dressed in a black armor wearing a red mask waved to me before jumping to the other roof. It seems I had found the Red Hood. I ran to keep in my sight as I activated the Bluetooth device connected to my suit and used it to call Tim.

“Robin!”, I said as soon as he picked up. “I need help. I just found the Red Hood. I am going after him, use the tracking device to get my location, and come ASAP.”

“Too much for Flamebird to handle by herself?”, he laughs on the other side. “Okay, I got you. Heading there. I should catch up with you in a couple minutes”, and he turns off the call.

Maybe I was distracted by the conversation, because before I know, I am bumping into Red Hood chest armor and falling on the ground.

“Auch!” I complain as I rub my head. The vigilante takes his pistol out and aim it at me. Great.

“I don’t wanna shoot you, babe, so why don’t you just stay down?” His voice was deep. Likely this hood had some voice alteration device.

“All right”, I said, putting my hands up in a surrendering gesture. “Why don’t you put your gun away and let us talk? Maybe I could turn a blind eye and you could run?”

The man laughed at my suggestion. “Since when bats make deals? Plus, I expected at least a ‘thank you’, after all, I saved you.”

“I could have taken both of them. I am not a damsel in distress.”

“It’s not how it looks right now.”

I had had enough of this bullshit. I use all my strength to kick him in the hand, making him drop the weapon. I stand up and grab his arm, twisting it around his back. With his free hand, he flipped me to ground, and before I could react again, he was aiming at me again.

“What part of ‘stay down’ you didn’t understood?” The gun went out and I prepared myself for the impact. It the floor between my legs. He kneeled behind me, with the gun still pointing at my head. He was so close I could feel the smell of sweat and hear his heartbeat. “I think I like you. You got fire”, even with his mask still on, I could tell he was smiling.

“I guess I have got some flame in me.” I smiled at my terrible pun.

“Oh right,  _ Flamebird _ .” The emphasized the nickname with despise. “Did the old bat pick it for you? Or he allowed you to have some independence?” As he spoke, his hand caressed the emblem of a fenix in my chest. Just above where my heart was. And my boob too. He gave a light squeeze, and I felt a shiver in my spine. Pleasure? Disgust? I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t let myself get distracted by that. He leaned more over me, which I answered by throwing my head back, hitting his nose.

Before he recovered from the sudden attack, I punched him in the jaw, and kicked his left knee, making him fall to the ground. I got up just in time to see Robin arriving. Red Hood got up, and my brother threw the batarang in him. He caught it easily.

“You really hate talking, don’t you?”, the masked man said. “But maybe you should ask the Big B about his former Robin. I bet there are something he didn’t tell you kids.” 

And then he threw a smoke bomb and disappeared, so fast I almost didn’t see it.

“Great night, right?” My brother asked me. I nodded in response. “What do you think he meant by telling us to ask about Nightwing?”

“I don’t think he meant Nightwing, but rather Jason, the guy who was Robin before you.”

“He is dead. What is there to know?”

“I have no idea. I guess we will find out tomorrow.”

We decided to head back home. There had been enough fights for the night.

* * *

I turn on the water and wait until the bathtub is full before taking my clothes off. The hot water feels amazing against my sore muscles. I lay in the tub thinking about the events of tonight. Partly unconsciously, my hand wonders to my left boob, cupping it. I give a light squeeze, like he had done before. It feels good. I knew he shouldn’t have touched me there. But it did feel good. I was scared at the moment, but repeating the move again, here, I could tell that it was pleasure that irradiated throughout my body.

Maybe it was because I was young, or because my parents didn’t actually talk to me about sex, but I had never touched myself. Of course, I knew how sex worked, and I had heard the girls talking in the school bathroom. I knew that some places were more sensitive than others, and that stimulating them in the right way could result in orgasms, which according to a senior called Caroline Smith, were the best thing you would ever feel. I just never tried finding out which were those places.

I stopped what I was doing. It was wrong, wasn’t it? I was too young for that… Plus, I shouldn’t like to be touched by the Red Hood. Actually, I should be angry at him. It was a violation. I forbid myself of touch there again. Especially when thinking of him. I rushed the rest of the shower and went to bed. I fall asleep very fast.

* * *

“How did patrol go last night?”, Bruce asked in the breakfast next morning.

I was sitting in front of him in the table, in Dick’s side, and I couldn’t hide the confused expression that took over my face. I was still puzzled by the meeting with Red Hood. But before I could say anything, Tim spoke.

“One of the drug dealers we captured was shot by a rival before we could do anything. The shooter got away.” Then he looked at me in the way only twins can. And I understood that he didn’t want to tell Bruce what had truly happened.

“Yeah…”, I quickly agreed, “And how did your special mission go?” I turned by head to Dick.

He looked handsome in the morning, his hair was still messy from the sleep and his old t-shirt that he used at home allowed his muscles to show off. I wondered how it would be waking up in the same bed as him. How would it feel to kiss his softs lips? I shook my head as the Dick in my thoughts became Red Hood. Now a disgusted expression replaced my confused one.

“It was fine”, he answered.

“Did you find what you needed?”

“Unfortunately, no.”, he paused and took a bite of his toast, before continuing. “I guess that we will try again tonight.”

“Enough about this”, Bruce said “What are you kids doing today? I have a meeting in the morning, it will go until after lunch.”

“But it’s weekend!” I complained. Bruce had promised to take me to the Gotham Art Museum to see the new exhibit, as some kind of father-daughter bonding.

“I know, I know. But I really need to go.”

“Don’t worry, Y/N, if you will drive you to the museum”. Dick smiled to me. Oh, that smile…

“Really? You are the best!” I hugged him, throwing my arms around his neck. I could see Tim eyes flicker with jealousy.

“I think I will just stay at home.” Nothing in the world could make my brother go to a pop art exhibit. He always liked the more classic things. “I have some homework to do.”

I finished breakfast and excused myself so I could get ready. After dressing up to go out, I dropped by Tim’s room.

“Hey, Timmy, can I come in?”, I asked through the door.

There was footsteps on the other side, and then the door opened, revealing my brother. I entered and closed the door behind me.

“What the hack are you planning?” I inquired pushing him.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, don’t play dumb. You know what I am talking about. Why didn’t you tell Bruce what happened last night?”

“He is also keeping secrets from us.” Tim simply stated.

“Yeah, to protect us.”

“Aren’t you curious about what Red Hood said?” He knew I was. We both are of investigative nature, that was how we found out who was the Batman, but it was also how we would get in trouble. “After Bruce goes out, I will go to the Batcave look at Jason’s old files. And into what the original Dynamic Duo is doing right now.”

“You really think it isn’t going to be protect with passwords beyond our clearance level?”

“I can talk Barbara into helping us. I just have to say that Bruce left it as a challenge, but I can’t crack it. She will do it for me”, he said smiling. Babs was always helping us, especially on the beginning. She knew how hard was to adapt into Batman’s routine. She was also a great hacker and often would get us classified information. Or just hack into Gotham Academy’s system and change the attendance rate. Being a part-time vigilante meant that sometimes you would have to skip classes.

“Y/N”, a voice called from the corridor. “Are you ready?”

“I gotta go. Good luck, lil’ bro”, I said as I got out of the bedroom. Dick was waiting for me, car keys on hand.

“Ready to see some paintings?”

“Always.” I said as I took his waiting hand.


	2. Going Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It picks up where the first chapter ended; Dick and Y/N go out, but Red Hood keeps showing up in her mind. Tim investigate what Bruce is hiding.

“So, what is this supposed to be?”, he asked as we stood in front of a painting that looked like someone had spilled coffee on top of some crazy red and blue lines.

“Maybe it represent the mess the world is in the moment”, I laugh, just because I liked abstract art it didn’t mean I could understand what the artist wanted to show. “Or maybe the painter was just too lazy to do anything, and the deadline was near.”

The next painting was a shadow bleeding silver blood. That I could understand. It was violence, something I witness every day. Flashes of last night flooded my mind. The shooting, the blood spilling everywhere. The run, the capture, the fight. The Hood….

“Dick?” I said as I sat in a bench. He set down near me.

“Y/N, is everything okay? You look worried.” I could hear the concern in his voice.

“It isn’t like I haven’t seen blood or death before, but I just can’t forget last night.” Tears started filling my eyes. “It isn’t something new, so why it shocks me so much?”

“Hey, it’s okay. Even after years on the job, I still get disturbed by some deaths”, he placed a hand on my shoulder, comforting me. “I know you and Tim didn’t tell us everything that happened, but whatever was the circumstance, I know you did your best.”

I leaned my head on his chest and started crying. Dick’s strong arms hugged me, and I felt safe. Some part of my brain wondered if Red Hood would hug me like this. Damn it. I had to stop thinking about him like that. He was evil.

Between sobs, I managed to tell him about last night’s events, in every detail. Well, almost every detail, I left out the part where Red Hood caressed my boobs. Not exactly a proper thing to tell your older brother. 

“Hey”, he cupped by face in his hands, making me look into his beautiful eyes… I could drown into his ocean blue eyes, and I would be happy doing it. “Don’t feel bad. It’s not your fault. Red Hood is skilled, his aim is perfect, and honestly, I am glad you are alive. You did right by not pursuing him, he would have shot you too.” He kissed my in the forehead. I loved when he did that.

“But he could have shot me if he wanted. He chose not to. And he said that we should ask Bruce about Jason. Well, not exactly, he said to asks Batman about the previous Robin, but you get the idea”, I clarified.

“He was trying to mess with you. There’s not much to know about Jason, he was stubborn, took off on his own, did the wrong move and died. But you already know that, you and Tim are the world greatest stalkers.”

I smiled. I loved when he called us that. “You are right. Maybe we should go home.” Our lovely morning was ruined now. I really didn’t want to stay in the museum after breaking down in front of everyone. Even if they didn’t knew what we were talking about, everybody had seen me crying.

“Home? It’s too soon yet. Do you want some ice cream? For me, there’s nothing like a strawberry sundae to make you feel better.”

I didn’t want to eat anything. But there was no way I could say no to Dick. He was my hero.

* * *

(Tim’s P.O.V)

“Tim!”, the red-haired girl exclaimed as she opened the door with a smile. I couldn’t understand how she and Dick could be always in a good mood, especially having been seeing death and destruction for years. “Come on in. Dad is out at the precinct, so no need to talk in codes.”

It was a big but simple house. Whoever had decorated it, seemed to like the 80’s, for the place looked like it had come straight from a time-machine. Barbara’s room, on the other hand, was filled with the most high-tech stuff there was. As far as the Commissioner knew, his daughter only needed all the supercomputers to keep sure things in Wayne Enterprises didn’t go wrong. Actually, the computers served to monitor Gotham, and do all the Bat’s virtual investigation. Bruce was good, but Barbara knew the grid better than anyone in this world. No wonder Dick was so captivated by her.

“Thanks. So...”, I hesitated, I had gone over the story thousands of times in my head, but now I wondered it she would believe it. “Bruce had me and Y/N doing these ‘hacker training’, and we need to crack open the an encrypted folder of the Bat-Computer.” She nodded. I didn’t doubt that Bruce would actually do something like this to his protégés.

“Let me guess, you haven’t figured out how to get pass his codes?”, she sat on the chair and turned on the screen. “Alright, I know how hard it can be to impress him. Is it on the shared server? Because if it isn’t, I will have to go with you to the cave.”

“No, it’s there, you can access it from here”, I had made sure Babs would be able to open it from her house.

“Which folder is it?”, she asked. I pointed to the one named Jason Todd.

She frowned, but still began doing what I had asked. Her fingers moved so quickly I could barely keep track. I wanted to learn how to do that in case I ever needed again.

“There”, she rolled her chair back, allowing me full view of computer screen. “May I ask why Bruce wants you to open the ex-Robin’s folder?”

“Informatics training plus some tactical reading?” I came up with the quick excuse. It did make sense. A coherent story was what I needed. She nodded.

I read the page, his Robin’s adventures, a mysterious time gap and then his death in the hands of the Joker. Despite the curiosity sparked by the missing time, it was the last sentence that caught my attention. It was one word with a hyperlink. The word was ‘Alive?’. I clicked on it and a blurred photo of someone who looked like Jason showed up. The photo was taken here in Gotham, by one of Bab’s security cameras. It was from this year. It was followed by other photos, all around the same dates. I grabbed my things in a hurry as I left her room.

“Not even a thank you?” She yelled as she came after me.

“Sorry, I gotta find Y/N.” I had an idea of what to do now. If Jason was alive, then it had to have something to do with the missing months. And if he was alive, there must have been a reason as to why he didn’t want anyone to know.

“Before you try anything, Bruce has already tried finding him. The pic is too blurred, it could be anyone”, she grabbed my wrist, making me stop. “He didn’t ask for this, did he? You just trying to prove yourself by outsmarting him.”

“Yeah…”, I lied again, still better than the truth. Was she going to tell him?

“I will keep your secret, but it is hopeless. Jason’s dead.”

“I know, but Red Hood has a interest on him”, the words hurried out of my mouth as my brain began to link the facts. Shit, shit, shit. I shouldn’t have told her that.

She looks at me intrigued. “Red Hood? You ran into him?”

“I really should get going…”, I try to excuse myself to leave, but she hold my tighter. Having been on the vigilante gig for way longer than me, she was stronger, and kept me from moving.

“Tim, explain. Now!”

“Y/N and I fought him last night. He said to ask about the previous Robin. Said that Bruce was keeping a secret from us.”

“Wait… Red Hood began to show up around the same time as the first picture of ‘Jason’ was taken…”

“And he fights like a Robin”, I completed her line of thought. “You don’t think it could be him, right?”

“I don’t know. But Bruce certainly has looked into it.”

“I bet Dick knows. They have been whispering around the manor for a while.”

“You are going to get killed, Tim. You need to trust Batman and Nightwing. They would have told you if they thought it was important.”

“How can I trust them if they are keeping secrets?”, I said. She let go of me, and I could feel that she was also trying to understand what was going on.

I walked out of the house, heading to the nearest subway station and already calling my sister’s number.

* * *

We were sharing a Banana Split when Tim called.

“Hey, baby brother”, I greeted him on the phone.

“Are you still with Dick?”

“Yes. Is everything okay?”

“Can you make a excuse to go away? I have got interesting information.”

“What did you found out?”

“Meet me at the public library ASAP, no costume on, of course”,  and just like that, he turned off.

I put my phone back in the purse and took my wallet out.

“Is everything alright? You need to go somewhere?”, Dick asked as I took my money out and placed it on the table.

“Tim just found the article we need for our paper. I am going to meet him in the library. Sorry”, I truly was sorry, I didn’t want to leave him, not when we were having so much fun.

“I will go with you”,  he was already getting up.

“No, there’s no need for that. Stay, finish up. It’s just two subway stops away from here. See you back at the manor?”

“Yeah, sure”, he hesitated before saying it. Whatever my brother had found, it better be really, really good.

* * *

I got to the Gotham Public Library before Tim. After our parents began fighting all the time, we started to leave the house and go there. It was quiet, and it looked like a maze, so no one would find you. It was crowded with old books, newspapers, and yellowed documents from Gotham’s public buildings over the decades. My favorite part used to be the blueprint’s section, but after the criminals started going there to find nice sewer systems to navigate under the radar, it was decided that they could only be accessed if you had permission from the mayor’s office.

We always set on a table on the far left, half-hidden by some bookshelves. It took Tim more five minutes to get here.

“Hey, sis”, he said as he took the chair on my side.

“What was so important I had to get here immediately?”

“Babs found Jason’s files, and there are some time missing. No entries during months, and he comes back and dies. Only that he may not be dead at all. I think he might be Red Hood.”

“Why Bruce didn’t tell us?”

“Why would his former sidekick fake his own death? Why would he want so bad to fight Batman? And why would he want us to investigate it.”

“What are you implying?”, was it just me or was he suggesting that Bruce had taken some part in Jason’s fake death? How could he even think that? Bruce would never do such a horrible thing.

“Just listen. I got a plan to capture Red Hood. We can impress Bruce, like you always wants to do, and figure out what truly happened.”

It’s not like I had some self-esteem problems, but I just wanted to show Bruce that we are good sidekicks. That he can trust us with big things. It’s not like I hoped to stop the League of Assassins by myself (although Dick had done that once). It also felt unfair to doubt Bruce. He had done nothing but protect us.

He explained to me his theory that whatever happened to Jason during that missing time was what lead to his faking his death. And that it was also the reason why he came back as Red Hood. 

I remember Jason’s face from the pictures in the manor. He was very good looking, not in the good boy way Dick was, but in a more rebel way. I wondered how he looked nowadays. My mind played last night scenes without him wearing his hood. Somehow, by brain changed the setting, it wasn’t on the street, but rather on my bedroom, his was shirtless, and pinning me to the bed, as his and caressed my boob. NO. Not again. I had to stop thinking like this! I forbid my brain to have those thoughts again.

“Alright. Okay, we can try”, I agreed. I was still reluctant in doing it behind Bruce’s back.

“So tonight we go after RH, and once we bring him to justice, we can ask him the truth.”

“We are calling him by nicknames now?”

My brother rolled his eyes. “And if this was all to mess with us, we can show him it didn't work. But if there’s really something shady about Bruce’s past with him, then we deserve to know.”

I smiled. I wasn't sure what I would do, but I sure as hell wanted to see him again. 


	3. Hands Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin and Flamebird go after Red Hood, but the result isn't what they would expect.

It wasn’t hard finding Red Hood. He wasn’t exactly discreet. After Dick and Bruce went out, my and brother put on our costumes and went to search for him. The other vigilante was on a gun fight with Deadshot. Bullets were going in every direction, each trying to find the place in other’s suit where it was vulnerable.

I saw Tim reaching to his utility belt, ready to throw a few batarangs on the fight. “Robin, don’t”, I whispered, grabbing his wrist. The shooting battle was happening on the rooftop next to where we were. We were in a taller building, which gave us the advantage of seeing them, but not being seen. I didn’t want to ruin our cover.

“Flamebird, this is the perfect opportunity, Red Hood busy distracted by Deadshot, if we act now, we can capture both of them.”

“Can’t we just observe them for a couple minutes? It isn’t like there’s anyone around to get hurt.”

Tim looked at me as if I had gone crazy

“What if one of the bullets hit a passerby?”, he asked, his tone irritated. He tried to set his hand free, but I just held him strongly. “What are you doing, Flamebird?”

“I already said I want to watch!”, I raised my voice. We were far enough they wouldn’t be able to hear us anyway. “It’s a opportunity to learn his tactics, so we can defeat him easily.”

Tim raised his tone to match mine. “We got the advantage here!”

We were about to enter a competition of who can yell louder. We would do that sometimes when we had opposite ideas, try to impose our opinion by screaming so hard that the other wouldn’t be able to hear its own words. But we couldn’t do it now, not without risking getting caught.

“Don’t tell me what to do. I’m the eldest, you follow my plan.”

“I’m the best. And your plan sucks. Let’s send their asses to Arkham before someone gets hurt.”

“You’re not better! Batman only chose you as Robin because I would look pathetic in those green tights.”

“Are you saying I look good in the tights?”, he looks at me as if he was apologizing for yelling. That was his way of making peace before things got heated. He isn’t the kinda person who says ‘I’m sorry’ very frequently.

I roll my eyes and smiled, the mood between us seeming lighter now. 

“Alright, we don’t interfere. For now.” He agrees, and I let go of his wrist.

Just then, police sirens can be heard in distance. As if it had been planned, both shooters turn around and run, each to a different direction. Robin and I start following Red Hood from a safe distance. Around three in the morning, he enters a warehouse near the docks. We use a open window to get inside.

The first floor is filled with wooden boxes that most contain a bit of everything. A suspended platform that circles the place makes a second floor. Tim starts to climb that metal bars that form a ladder and go after him. There’s no sign of Red Hood but given the dirty clothes and weapons that covers the floor, it was safe to assume that he lived here.

Before I can react, someone grabs my arm and twist me, making me face the wall, and them presses his front on my back, immobilizing me. Tim acts fast, kicking my captor in the side of his ribs, which makes him loose his grip enough for me to flip back and punch his face. I stop my second punch when my eyes meet Jason’s blue ones. My brother doesn’t attack again, instead he looks at me trying to understand why I stopped.

If it wasn’t by the red mark where I had just hit him, you wouldn’t be able to tell this boy had been fighting. He looked perfectly normal, his black hair didn’t have a lock out of place and he looked at me with a cocky smile. Other than the white strand on his hair, he looked just like the boy from the pictures. I was stunned. I hadn’t actually believed Tim when he said that Jason was Red Hood. 

“The two of you are actually pretty good,” he said. Without the voice changer device of his hood, he didn’t sound so intimidating. His voice was husky, not as smooth as Dick’s but just as attractive. What was wrong with me? He was evil, I shouldn’t feel anything but anger towards him! “I didn’t even realized you were following me until you broke into my warehouse”. He throws his hands up in the air, “Won’t you arrest me, little birds?”

I was paralyzed. And I guess that Tim also was, for none of us moved. My gazed went back and forth, alternating between the two man. Jason also noticed this, and he lowered his hands, turned back and grabbed a towel that was hanging on the balustrade, as if he has lost his interest on us. He then went back downstairs, and the noise of running water began. Finally, Tim moved to me.

“Come on”, he said softly. “Let’s go before he gets back.”

“Why, you scared?” I asked but followed his lead anyway.

“I was wrong, we need to know more before we do something.”

I didn’t understand what Tim was doing. Actually, I didn’t understand what I was doing. Jason had been in front of me, with nothing to protect himself. I could have captured him and taken him to justice, instead, I just stood there, like Mr. Freeze had frozen me in place.

Tim jumped through the window that we have come in from, but before I joined him on the outside, I heard Jason yelling.

“Come alone tomorrow. That is, if you don’t decide to take me in for murder.” I didn’t need to see him to know he was smiling.

I jumped after my brother, who waited me on the outside. On the way back to the manor, I couldn’t keep the proposal out of my head. I couldn’t deny that he fascinated me, maybe in a nice way. I know I shouldn’t, but I was seriously considering going to the warehouse tomorrow night. What was the worst it could happen? If he wanted to kill me, I would be dead my now. And if he was with me, he wouldn’t be on the streets killing.

That was it. Tomorrow I would go meet him, but only to keep him busy. And to know more. If he was telling the truth, and Bruce was keeping a big secret, I needed to know. At least that was what I told myself that night, as I lay in my back facing the ceiling. Sleep didn’t come easy.


	4. Breaking Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N goes visit Jason by herself.

Tim didn’t tell Bruce what we had been up to last night and I was thankful for it. I still needed a plan on how to get to Jason alone. Even if Batman and Nightwing went by themselves, like they had done the previous two nights, I would be partnered with Robin. Maybe I could suggest we split up, or I could pretend I was going to sleep in a friend’s house, except I didn’t have any friends. I could always go with the ‘I’m sick’ excuse and then sneak out of the manor, but it was unlikely Alfred would leave me alone if I said I wasn’t feeling well.

“Y/N, are you listening?” Dick’s voice brought me back to reality. He stood on the fighting match, full suit on, and waiting for me to.

“Oh, sorry, can you repeat that? My head was elsewhere.”

“I asked if you were ready.”

“I thought you and Tim would go first.”

“We did”, my brother said walking towards me. By his face, I could tell he had lost. “Now it’s your turn, sis.” He gave a small laugh. He was expecting me to lose to Dick too.

I got up in the ring, and Dick made the signal for us to start. I charged in aiming my fist to his jaw, but he blocked the attack. He grabbed me by the arm and I kicked him, freeing myself. It was almost like a dance. We had done this so many times before that I knew what how he would react to every move I made. I knew his weak spots and he knew mine. It wasn’t a battle of strength, but of wits. To see who could trap the other faster, how to use your knowledge of the adversary into a leverage to win. This was why Bruce insisted that we observed an enemy before attacking.

It was boring. I knew him too well, there was no challenge here. With Red Hood was different, I couldn’t tell what he would do next, he was unpredictable. It had been fun and exciting to fight with him. I couldn’t just go mechanically, I had to analyze the situation before acting, otherwise, I would lose. I had watched him last night, but I still wasn’t able to understand his fighting style. Clearly, some of his moves were what he learned with Bruce, but most of what he did, was completely unfamiliar to me. It was almost as if he meant to confuse the opponent. You didn’t know what to expect from him.

With that in mind, I decided to change my next movement. Dick had one arm wrapped around my waist, trying to use his weigh to throw us on the ground, so I would be trapped. Instead of escaping his grip, I helped him get us to ground. Once I hit the floor, I tangled my leg on his, and launched my head backwards, hitting his chin. Then I use all my strength to flip us. He was surprised. He didn’t see that coming. I used the moment that took him to recalculate his actions to make sure that he couldn’t escape my hold. My body pressed his, and even though he was taller and stronger, he would be able to get out. Dick smiled.

“Good job”, he said. I let go of him and got up, offering a hand to help him up. He took it and we walked out of the ring. Tim was standing there, watching, like he couldn’t believe I had taken Dick down. “Maybe you should teach your brother one thing or two”, he continued, winking to me.

He had winked at me. My heart beat got faster, and it wasn’t because of the fight.

“So, do you wanna go?”, I asked Tim with a smile on my face, gesturing towards the ring.

He nodded, and I got back up there, followed by him. I must have beaten some record in the Drake’s Sparing Contest because I had barely sweat when I had Tim down. I didn’t know if he was surprised, proud or angry that he had lost twice in the same day. When we were left alone in the cave, he asked in a whisper.

“Where did you learn that?”, I could tell by his tone that he already knew the answer to his question. After all, we were together last night.

I batted my eyelashes in a fake innocence, before laughing.

“Maybe I am just creating a new fighting style. It gets boring to just follow what Bruce teach us.”

* * *

It took some time, but I convinced Tim to stay home tonight. After all, Bruce and Dick would be on their own case, and the city patrol could be handled by the Birds of Prey. So, by 10 p.m., I said goodnight to by brother and pretended to go to bed. And, as I had previously learned, the Wayne Manor is full if secret exits, which Bruce used to escape when there’s lot of press on the outside and he need to do Batman stuff.

I speed the motorcycle I borrowed from Dick (he doesn’t know I took it, but we live together, so it can’t be theft, can it?), heading towards the warehouses. I could get there by walking/jumping from the roofs, but that would take time and I want to get there as soon as possible. For what, I didn’t knew. I didn’t have a plan.

For once, I was going to be carefree and impulsive. Great thing that I decided to try that when going on a date with a serial killer. Was it even a date? Certainty it wasn’t the romantic, dinner-and-movies kind of date. Maybe like two friends hanging out? Well, we definitely weren’t friends. On second thoughts, why was I even going? I should just stay home and rest. I had to go to school tomorrow, and I had math test. I should be studying, not going to meet a psycho by myself.

Even with my doubts, I kept speeding until I got there. The place was dark, and I turned on my flashlight as I entered by the side window that I had used yesterday. Suddenly, I heard two gunshots coming from the upper part, and the bullets hit the floor a few meter from me, harmlessly.

“You actually came”, he yelled above me. “You are either braver or dumber than what I thought.”

I didn’t answer him, instead, I began climbing the ladder in silence. When I reached the platform, he was leaning on the wall, facing me. He offered a hand to help me stood up, but I didn’t take it. He shrugged and smiled.

“So, little bird, what brings you into the big bad wolf’s cave?”

I looked at him. His hair was messy, his leather jacket was dirty, and the color of his jeans was so faded I couldn't tell what it was. But he was still hot. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and I allowed myself to stare at his perfect six pack.

“Maybe I was just tired of the Bat’s cave”, I said in my best attempt to sound cool and relaxed, but I couldn’t even convince myself of that. I felt like a freshman going into a senior’s party, completely out of place, but still excited to be there. Jason opened a smiled, and somehow it made me more confident that before.

“I would offer tea and cookies, but I don’t have those”, he began walking and I followed him. “I do have guns and bullets if you are interested.”

“Why did you ask me here?”

He turned to look at me (gosh, those eyes…) and raised an eyebrow. He took a step forward, getting closer, and by instinct, I took one backwards. “I don’t know.”

He came closer, this time I didn’t move. He smelled like leather, blood and musk. I raised my head to stare at him eye to eye. For a moment, I thought he might lean closer to kiss me, but he just turned on his heels and began walking again. It took me some seconds to move again. Damn it, I had to stop freezing like that. He lead me to what looked like a poor excuse for a kitchen. I few cabinets, a tiny sink, a microwave, a mini-fridge and a table with two chairs. He opened the fridge, taking out a can of beer.

“Want some?”, he offered. I shook my head in a ‘no’, and he closed the door, taking a sip on his booze. I sat uncomfortably in one of the chairs and watched as opened another cabinet. He took out a pack of Ruffles, opened and threw it on the table, he sat on the other chair and began eating. “Aren’t you hungry?” He asked when he finished chewing. Even killers have table manners.

“I already had dinner.”

“I miss Alfred’s food”, he finished the beer, and crushed the can, setting it aside. Jason stood up to get another one, and while doing it, he let out a grunt of pain. “Fuck”, he took of his jacket, revealing stitches on his left ribs.

“You’re hurt”, I said getting up.

“Oh, really, Sherlock? It seems like the World’s Best Detective did taught you something.”

I ignored his commentary, I took the first aid kit out of my utility belt. I looked at him, as if asking permission before touching his injury. He didn’t say anything, so I began cleaning it. His muscles contracted under my touch and he hissed. I cut off the old stitches, which hadn’t been made with surgical thread, and remade them. When I finished, he was staring at me.

“Thanks, nurse”, I rolled my eyes. At least he really seemed thankful.

I didn’t step away, nor did he. We just stood there for what felt like an eternity, looking into each other’s eyes. Finally, I decided to make a move. I tiptoed, closed my eyes and brushed my lips against him. A giant red alarm was ringing in my mind. I totally should be doing that. To my surprise, he didn’t push me away, but rather, pulled me closer, holding my waist. His tongue touched my lips, and I opened them a little. I had never french-kissed before and had no idea if I was doing it right, so I just slid my tongue into his mouth. He tasted like alcohol and salt.

I pulled back to get some air. Had I just had my first kiss with a murderer? What was wrong with me? He lowered his hands slowly, placing them on my butt. I wondered if he would give a little squeeze. He didn’t. Should I grab his ass? What was the protocol for this type of thing? That was something they didn’t teach us at school (or at the bat-school either).

Before I could decided what to do next, a blast shook the building. Loud screams came from the outside, and Jason let go of me, grabbing his jacket on the floor a his hood, which I didn’t even realized was set on the top of the fridge, and putting them on.

“You up to a little game called bombs vs guns?”, his voice now was altered by the modulator on his helmet. He sounded scarier. I guess that it was the intention.

He took his rifle (who keeps a rifle in a kitchen?) and went to the nearest window and began shooting whoever was out there. I took one of my gas bombs and threw it in those men. The fog made them confused and they stopped their attack. I jumped to the first floor, racing to the door. The smoke was beginning to dissipate, to I threw another one. Red Hood was right behind me. We moved knocking out the criminals and cuffing them. I guess they didn’t expect to be two of us, because it was very easy to win over them. The surprise element always works.

“Friends of yours?”, I asked once the thugs were all down.

“I have pissed out my share of people”, he took off his hood. “Wanna go back inside?”

“Can’t. Gotta go back before Bat’s figure out what I am up to.”

I waved in goodbye and got on Dick’s motorcycle.

“Hey, I you at least give me your name? Your real one, I mean.”

“It’s only fair, after all, I do know yours”, I took of my mask. “I am Y/N Drake, and it’s nice to meet you, Jason Todd.”

I could swear that I saw his smile disappear when I said it. Maybe I saw it wrong, it was dark. Anyway, before anything else could be said, I hit the accelerator and began my drive back home. The night was fruitless, no new information gathered, only the confirmation that Jason was alive and was Red Hood.  


	5. When the Sun Goes Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N mets a new girl in school.

(Jason’s P.O.V)

Drake… I couldn’t believe. I never met the family, but I remember it from my time with Bruce. They only had two kids. Twins. 3 or 4 years younger than me. That would make her 14. Fuck, I had just kissed a teenager. Well, technically, I suppose I am a teenager. But after everything, I don’t think my age matters any more. She is so fucking young. Damn, I should have asked her age. She surely looks more like 18 than 14, but that’s not the point. Whatever, the mess was done now.

I should be worried about the suckers tied up in front of me, or even about the fact the Bruce surely knows where I am by now. I head back inside to pack up my things. Time to move. The good thing is that I remember the safehouses of the villains I fought during my time as Robin, so I have many places to choose from. They are likely all empty, but there’s nothing a few bullets won’t solve. It will be nice to have an actual bathroom, and my back misses sleeping in a bed.

It must had been my lucky day, for my attackers had been kind enough to come in a van. I fetch the keys from one of their pockets and put my stuff on the back part. I should kill them. Make sure to send a message, so their boss knows that he shouldn’t be coming after me. But I can’t. I don’t know why, but it doesn’t seemed right. Damn, I was getting soft.

* * *

I spent the whole ride back thinking about that kiss. Not only the fact I had kissed him, but the fact he kissed me back. HE. KISSED. ME. BACK. Was it possible he liked me? No, it couldn’t be. He was hot, he could have any girl he wanted (as long as he kept the vigilante thing a secret) and he still kissed me. Why? And why had I done it anyways? If I kept thinking about that, I wouldn’t get any sleep at all.

* * *

I woke up to smell of coffee and toast, and followed it to the dining room, where I found Dick already eating breakfast.

“Hey, Y/N”, he greeted me as I took the seat next to his.

“Morning, Dick”, I reached to the plate of muffins and took one. Blueberry, just how I liked. “Did anything happened last night?”

“Nah, just some boring patrol.”

“Good morning, Miss Drake.” Alfred came from the kitchen holding two brown paper bags, with the handed to me. “For school.”

“Thanks”, I said with my mouth full of muffin. Not very lady like, I reprimanded myself. I opened the bag to spy what had inside. White chocolate cookies and a homemade protein bar. “I bet they are delicious.”

As usual, Tim woke late. I was already fully dressed and waiting when he came out of his room, with his grumpy-morning face. He was the kind of person that was better after two or three cups of coffee. Dick took off to do whatever he did during the days. I don’t think he actually had a job, he just sat in his desk at Wayne Enterprises, doing his role of heir to the industries and looking good in his tailored suit. Pretty much what Bruce did. I didn’t want to be like that, I wanted to go to college, make my own money. Not that I needed, I had half of the Drake’s fortune, and was the adopted daughter of Bruce Wayne. But I know I would go crazy if I did absolutely nothing. Plus, being Flamebird costs lots of money.

Even with the traffic, we managed to get to school before the bell rang. We said goodbye to Alfred and got out of the car. The halls were packed with kids talking to each other in groups. Sometimes I missed having friends, but neither me nor my brother had good social skills, so we just stood together and pretended it was okay. Or at least I pretended. I think Tim actually liked talking just to me. It meant he didn’t have to lie about what he was doing last night or how he had got hurt. I did understand his concerns about getting too close with anyone, but back when Dick was a student here, he was the leader of the football team. And Barbara was part of the gymnastics group. Even Jason had had some friends. Jason… there he was again.

“Y/N?”, I snapped out of my thoughts. Tim looked at me worried.

“Yeah, sorry?”

“Lately you seem to have become a daydreamer. What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing much. Just reviewing for the biology test. Which reminds me I should go to the classroom. See you on the third!”, I said with a wave as I walked to the end of the hall. I could tell he knew I was hiding something. Twin’s connection or something like that. He always knew when I was keeping a secret. But I couldn’t tell him about Jason. I couldn’t tell anyone.

* * *

I wasn’t lying about the test. But it wasn’t like I needed to study for it, just paying attention in class was enough. Plus, fighting Poison Ivy meant you needed to know botany (just the subject of the test), which meant I knew more than anyone here. Even more than the teacher. I finished in less than half an hour, and went to the school library, the first two periods were biology, so I had more than a hour of free time to read.

I took a table in the empty library and opened my book. It was some cheesy romance novel about a cop who was seduced by a criminal. Only to turn out that she wasn’t really guilty but being framed. It ended with the two getting married and living happily ever after. Just the kinda thing you need to take your mind out of the violence of the real live. That was the problem, in the real world, things didn’t work like that. The bad guy was actually bad, and there were no happy endings. No matter how much you wanted.

Then the idea hit me. The library had a sector of and old yearbooks. Jason had studied here. There must be something related to him. I stood up and went to the end to the back room. Glass doors separated the “School Archives” from the rest. I opened it and went looking for the Freshman Class of 2013. There it was. He looked young in the pictured. And angry. No extracurricular activities (being Robin didn’t count for school credits). He didn’t appear in the photos of the school parties or any other event. I take back my previous statement, he also didn’t had any friends.

“Oh”, a female voice said, making me close the yearbook in a jump. I looked up from where I was sitting on the floor. A girl about my age stood there, she seemed surprised to see me here. She had a long blonde hair and dark blue eyes. I knew her, she had entered Gotham Academy this year and was in the same grade as me, but I couldn’t remember her name. “I’m sorry. This place is usually empty. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

“It’s okay”, I got up. I could read it somewhere else.

“Don’t leave because of me. Really, you got here first. I can find another place to go.”

“You hiding or something like that?”

“A little”, she said shyly. It was a good place to hide. The library was barely ever used. And the archive section was pretty much the last place one would go look for a book. Here, behind the selves, the only way to see you would be if someone came in. I smiled, I also liked hiding between books.

“Well, there’s enough space for two”, I told her, sitting back on the floor, from where I had just gotten up. “I am Y/N Drake.”

“Stephanie Brown. And thanks. This place is my favorite spot to disappear, I wouldn’t like to have to find another.”

She took her coat off to make a pillow and set on it. She them pulled a book out of her backpack and began reading. Stephanie Brown… Now I knew why she seemed familiar. Not only from school, but from the bat-computer files. Her father was Arthur Brown, the Cluemaster. Was it just a coincidence? It must be, no one knew who Robin and Flamebird were. I didn’t realize I had been staring until she turned her face to me.

“I know what you are thinking. It’s what everyone think. Yes, you saw my father on the news. Yes, he is a thief. No, I am not like him, okay?!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Then it hit me. She was in one of the most elitists schools on the city, where most parents were businessmen and politicians. Meanwhile, her dad was a criminal. No doubt some of our classmates had been in the galas Cluemaster had attacked. “Is that why you hide?”

“I don’t like the stares they give me. In my former school as the same thing. I don’t know why I thought things would be different here”, she sounded sad. Well, I shouldn’t be surprised by it, the kids here can be very mean.

“You are not him. Plus, our classmates are assholes.” I decided to change the subject. “So, what are you reading?”

“The Great Gatsby, it’s for my English class.” She pointed to the yearbook I was still holding. “Do you like looking to people’s yearbook pictures? You know, I have read all of those”, she said, gesticulating to the selves. “There are some very messed up photos.”

I smiled as she crawled forward to get the books. She was right, some people didn’t look any good on the pictures. I decided to check out the one with Jason. In the manor I could look better at it.

“Hey, why don’t you have lunch with me and my brother? We will be easy to find. Just look for the table with only two sitting on it.” She nodded smiling, and we parted ways, each going to a different class.

* * *

It turned out that Steph and Tim really liked each other, they had lots of things in common. And for the first time ever, our lunch table had more than two persons on it. For a whole week. People usually ran away after realizing we were "scary" (Tiffany, third grade, after Tim and I disused the best strategy for Batman to defeat the Joker) or just "creepy" (Fred, last year, after Tim accidentally came to school with blood on his shirt. Honestly, I think he did it on purpose because Fred was flirting with me). But then again, people had said the same about Stephanie.

That week we returned to our usual sidekick position, patrolling with Batman and capturing the bad guys. Not kissing them, as I constantly reminded myself. I couldn’t ask what had happened to Red Hood, not without raising suspicions, but I spent my daydreams on him. The warehouse was empty, I guess he abandoned it after those thugs found him. And he hadn't done any kill. Part of me hoped he would, so I could have a excuse to go after him. And part of me wished he would just disappear. Wasn't it enough to like Dick, when I knew I could never be with him? Now I had to like Jason? He was so cute on the yearbook. Grumpy by cute. Like that cat whose photo was around the internet a while ago. 


	6. Chase Me Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N see Jason again. Dick finds out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took my so long for update, i have been suffering from lack of inspiration. Also, thanks for those who have read and left kudos.

Bruce was out of town, and me, Dick and Tim had gone to a pizza place downtown.

“How’s your girlfriend?” Dick asked my twin brother.

“She’s not my girlfriend. She’s a girl. And she’s my friend. But she isn’t my girlfriend”, Tim answered annoyed. Dick had been joking about about Stephanie being Timmy’s girlfriend for that whole week.

“Plus, she’s my friend too”, I stepped into my brother’s defense.

“You two are the dating the same girl?” Dick replied, faking being in shock.

Tim hit his fists on the table, and got up, walking towards the bathroom.

“What’s up with him today?”, the older boy asked to me. I began laughing. I guess Tim did have a crush on Steph.

We made the same order as always, and as the two boys talked about yesterday’s game, I looked through the window. My eyes grew wide with surprise when I saw a familiar face on the street. I couldn’t believe that after 8 days I had finally met Jason again. With my heart racing, I got up from my seat and ran out of the restaurant, so fast that Barry would have been proud.

“Jason!!!”, I yelled the moment I got outside. I could hear Dick getting up to come check on why I had got out that way.

Jay turned back for a brief second, just enough to see me coming towards him, and took off. I chased him. He was fast and knew this part of the town, but so did I. Plus, I was really determined to get to him. My brothers were right after me. I wondered what it looked like for those that were watching it. A bunch of freaks running in the night? Well, this is Gotham, weirder things have happened.  

He made the mistake of turning in a dead end. He realized his error, and abruptly stopped, turning his face to face. I was running fast and didn’t have time to react. Before I knew it, I was stumbling upon him. He grabs me, so I don’t fall.

“We have been there before, haven’t we, babe?”, he asks smirking.

“Thanks,” I reply. I held his arm longer than what would be needed to regain my balance. “haven’t seen you around this week.”

“Laying low. Missing me?”

I consider before I answer. I can’t show how much I have been wanting to see him again. I can’t give him the satisfaction. “You are nice to catch.”

“This means I am under arrest? Or are you just gonna to stand there and stare at me again?”

“I’m not staring”, I state, looking away. I hadn’t even realized that I had been staring at his jaw. It was sharp, so sharp. “Are you gonna to kiss me again?” When I mention the kiss, his eyes get darker.

“You were the one who kissed me”. His tone is more serious, not as playful as before. Did he regret it? He didn’t like? Or maybe I was getting it all wrong and he didn’t even liked me like that to begin with. We are enemies, after all. I open my mouth to reply, but Tim’s voice makes me stop.

“Y/N, what’s going on?”, he asks from the opening of the alley. I let go of Jason’s arm to talk Tim, but as soon as I move away, Dick, who was standing on my twin’s side, sees Jason’s face, and next thing I know the two of them begin fighting.

I try to break the fight, but they keep going, like I wasn’t there. Jason manages to get on top of Dick, and is about to punch him is the face, but I grab his wrist.

“For God’s sake! Stop!” I scream on the top of my lungs.

Jason studies me, trying to figure out whether I had set this up or not. Then, he gets up. I put myself between the two of them.

“Look if it isn’t our long-lost brother Jason Todd”, Tim says, trying to light up the mood. Jason and Dick shoot him angry stares, making Tim step back.

“Come on, Y/N. We are going home”, Dick orders me. With a few drops of sweat running down his face, his hair messed up because of the fight and his authoritarian tone, he looks even hotter than usual. Despite that, I shake my head.

“I want to talk to him.”

“We have nothing to talk about”, Jason snarls at me. I can’t stop the hurt look that crosses my face, and he see it too, for he loses a little of his ‘I don’t give a damn to you’ attitude. “You should listen to him and get out while you can.”

Dick takes me by the hand and drags me away, as Jason stands there. Tim walks quietly by my side.

“We continue this another time, Grayson”, Jay growls to him, but Dick doesn’t turn back.

It takes two full blocks for my adopted brother to talk to me. He let go of my hand, crosses his arms and stare at me in the middle of the almost empty sidewalk. “What the hell were you doing?”, he sounds more worried than angry, which is a good thing. “He is dangerous! He has killed 25 people, and that’s only what we know about.” 

I shrug. “He isn’t dangerous to me”, I look to Tim, searching for support. I don’t get any. “I met him the other day. He’s nice.”

“Did you know about this?”, Dick asks to my brother.

“I was with her when we ran into him. The two times.”

“Twice? You met with him again after talking to me? I knew I should have told Bruce.”

“You told Dick?”, Tim asks me, angrily. What a hypocrite! He had told Barbara!.

“Three times. I saw him three times.” I corrected Dick, and gave Tim a apologizing gaze, I should have told him about meeting Jason alone.

“We were only trying to prove ourselves. We thought that if we would catch him, the two of you wouldn’t think of us as children anymore. I didn’t knew she had become pals with him.” Nice, bro, throwing me to the wolf alone.

“Jason is hurt, lost and scared. He wasn’t trying to hurt me”, I try augmenting again. I don’t know why I said that. I didn’t know how he felt.

“It doesn’t matter, Y/N. You shouldn’t have put yourself in danger. And you are children, so when we say to don’t go after someone, we are only trying to protect you. If Bruce didn’t fully trust you, he wouldn’t have gave the gig to you.” He took a deep breath. I guess he didn’t do exactly what to do next. “Let’s go home. When Bruce come back we can talk about this again. Until then, you are to stay at home all the time, except when you have school.”

* * *

Tim enters my room the next morning. 

“What the fuck were you thinking?”, he yelled. “Not only you ran out to the street to talk to Red Hood, but you also went to see him by yourself other day?”

“He invited me to back to the warehouse the next day when we broke in. We talked a bit.”

“Why didn’t you took me along? I thought we did everything together.” It was true, as twins, our parents had always insisted we did everything together. And since we didn’t have any friends, we ended keeping that tradition when we grew up.

“He asked me to come alone.” I lowered my gaze. I didn’t want to see his reaction to what I was about to tell. “I kissed him.”

“What? But he’s a killer! Is that why you didn’t want to arrest him? Because you had a crush on him?”

“No. Maybe… I have no idea”. Tears began running down my face. Tim sat next to me on the bed and hugged me.

“So, my little sister gave her first kiss, yeah? You clearly have a thing for Robins.” Now he was just teasing me. I was relieved he wasn’t angry. What would I do without his support?

“Oh, shut up”, I answered playfully

“First Dick, now Jason… That’s a pattern.”

“I never kissed Dick!”

“You wish you had,” he accused and I blushed.

“So do you!”, and then he blushed, and we seemed almost like normal siblings. Almost.


	7. Feeling Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce is back, time for a family meeting

For the three days it took Bruce to come back, barely left my room. Only to go to school or eat. I was ashamed that I had disappointed Dick. I felt like I had betrayed him somehow, and the worst was that I still wanted to see Jason. I still couldn't believe he would hurt me. Tim and I didn’t find anything new. As far as we could tell, there was nothing that would have made Jason fake his death. Bruce was clean. I felt bad for even considering he might have done something to hurt Jay.

There was a loud knock on my door, and I got up to see to it was. Dick stood there with a black t-shirt and jeans. He looked worried, and I let go a relieved sigh that he wasn’t mad anymore.

“Y/N, Bruce’s home”, he said calmly. We walked down the hall in an awkward silence. I felt like I needed to say something.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to things to happen that way”, I stop and speak slowly. He stops by my side and looks into my E/C eyes, and I look down. I can’t support his eyes on mine right now. “I’m sorry I disappointed you.”

“You didn’t disappoint me. I may have overreacted the other day,” he grabs my hands, “but that’s only because I worry about you.”

“We should go, I don’t wanna keep dad waiting”, I say as I begin to walk again. A smile crosses my face when I realize I have called Bruce ‘dad’ for the first time, even though I had been living with him for half an year. 

* * *

The four of us sat in the living-room, me on the couch, with Tim by my side, and Dick and Bruce in the armchairs facing us. By the looks of it, Bruce already knew the gist of the situation. I braced myself for his reprimand, but when he spoke, he was calm.

“I'm sorry I made you feel like the two of you had something to prove.” That's it. That's all that he said before getting up. “Now dress up, we have patrol to do.”

Me and Tim exchanged bewildered looks. Where was the hour-long speech about how we had put ourselves in danger, how we shouldn't just allow a criminal to escape, of how reckless we had been?

We followed the older men to the cave, where it was decided that Robin and Nightwing would patrol together, and I would be with Batman. Usually, being chosen to be Bruce's companion for the night felt like an honor, but right now, it was like they didn't trust me.

* * *

You know that Gotham has too many criminals when the motif of the newest super-villain is ketchup.

“You gotta be kidding me. Who the hell is that supposed to be?” I whisper to Batman, who is standing by my side as the watch the scene before us.

3 minutes ago we had intercepted a police radio call saying that a man dressed in a black suit was shooting people with condiments in a dinner. Since it was a quiet night, we had decided to go check on it.

\- I am the Condiment King! - The man yelled as the sprayed mayo on us. Not radioactive mayo, not acid mayo. Just normal mayo.

The fight, if you could even call that a fight, didn't take more than 5 minutes. The cops arrived, and we delivered the self-proclaimed King to them. Someone had got a free trip to the nuthouse.

* * *

(Jason's P.O.V.)

I must be crazy. I totally shouldn't be following her and Batman. But I was still watching when they left the dinner covered in condiments.

“It'll leave on hell of a stain on the Batmobile”, Y/N complained to my former mentor. “Plus, he totally ruined my outfit.”

She was trying to be funny, but the Dark Knight didn't even smirk. They got in the car, likely to back to the manor, no way they would catch anyone covered in salad sauce, and I prepared myself to follow. I would have to do it by rooftop jumping. They would notice if I used a moto. All my years in crime fighting left me in my peak physical conditions, but not even that could match the speed of a car. Luckily, I knew where they were going, so I could take my time.

By the time I got to the manor, they had already gone inside. I still remembered all the security flaws, and in a matter of minutes, I was on the roof (they still hadn’t cut off the three that I used to use to climb up there). From the roof, I jumped to a balcony that belonged to an empty room (at least it was empty when I lived there). Then, I heard the noise of a shower running. I took a peak in the bathroom window, a small rectangle, and there she was, naked, with her back facing me. I couldn’t help but wonder how soft her skin must be, and how it would feel to touch her naked ass with my calloused hands.

I knew it was wrong. Very, very wrong. For starter, she was underage. Second, she was Bruce adopted daughter, and he was already angry enough with me as things were (not that I cared about it, he abandoned me first). Third, she deserves someone better than me. But nothing of this stopped me from opening the balcony door and stepping into her room. From sitting in her bed and smelling her sheets. It smelled like lavender and plum. Alfred must wash her sheets separately, or he must have changed the cloth softener, because I remembered that mine smelled like lemon and grass in a summer day.

That was the kind of thing I never cared for when I lived here, but after I was gone, I missed. Like the way Dick always handed me the butter in breakfast before I had to ask, because he knew I liked it. Or like how Bruce would speak proudly in my school when they asked about me. I shook those memories out of my mind as I heard the shower being turned off. But before she came out, there was a knock on the door.

* * *

The Condiment King had been so stupid that in the car, where no one could see us, even Bruce laughed of it. It was a strange thing to see Batman laugh. We had decided to come home to get cleaned up, and I asked if I could stay. Honestly, I was tired, plus nothing interesting was going on. Not even petty robberies. It felt wrong to wish that some crime would happen, but that’s how I was feeling.

I took of the uniform and turned on the shower, letting the warm water fall on my back. And there again was the strange feeling I had in the ride home. The feeling of being watched. I knew I was just being paranoid, no one could enter the property without us knowing, it has tons of security.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what would happen if I went after Jason. He had to live near the place where I found him the other night. I had been trained by the world’s greatest detective and had a super computer at my service. I could find out exactly where he was staying. But what would I do then? Take him in and win back Dick and Bruce’s trust (I wasn’t buying that ‘everything is ok’ act of their)? Or should I ask him out? Did I even wanted to go out with him? Plus, I would look like a super creep if I stalked him again. I still had so many questions to ask him.

I turned off the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. I stopped by the mirror and looked at me. I seemed even more tired than usual, my H/C hair ran wet on my face and my eyes were bloodshot, as if I hadn’t been sleeping, which was partially true. And I felt as bad as I looked. I almost went back to the shower to take a relaxing bath in the tub, but before I could do so, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of you who are still reading!


	8. Coming Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Y/N find Jason hiding in her room, smut happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dedicate this chapter to @Dianasaurus94 and to @shannahs, thank so much for taking your time reading my work and leaving comments, you have no idea how happy it made me

(Jason’s P.O.V.)

I jump at the sound and quickly slide into the wardrobe, hoping she doesn’t hear the sound of the doors closing. She walks out of the bathroom, covered just in a pink towel, and looking gorgeous. She leaves water drops in the carpet as she goes towards the bedroom door.

* * *

I get out of the bathroom, being careful to not leave a wet trail behind me. I open the door, and Tim smiles from the hall, leaning on the wall near my bedroom entry. He’s still using his Robin clothes, and there was a small cut on his chin.

“Oh my god! Are you okay?”, I say, worried, as a use a finger to collect the blood the runs from the injury.

“It’s nothing. You should have seen the other guy”, he says playfully. “I heard you were attacked by the Mustard Lord?”

“Condiment King”, I correct him. “And it was pretty pathetic.”

“Well, good night, sis”, he says as he walks to his room, which is in front of mine, and I wave him goodbye before closing the door behind me.

That’s when I hear a hard breathing. All my vigilantes instincts flick in as I scan the room looking for something unusual. I eyes fall to my bed, which is weirdly crumpled in the edge, as if someone had sat there, which I definitely didn’t. There it was, me being paranoid again. I shake my head and head towards my closet. The door is closed shut.

* * *

(Jason’s P.O.V.)

I listen to their quick conversation. If she goes back to the bathroom now, I could get away through the window, but if she stays in the room, I would have to wait until she’s asleep. It was a terrible idea to come here. As she walks closer to my hiding place, my heart begins to skip faster, and my breath intensifies. Whether is for the fear of getting caught, or for something else, I have no idea.

* * *

I reach for the handler, all my senses telling me that there’s someone in my room. Maybe even inside the wardrobe. My heartbeat is so loud that everyone in the manor must be able to hear it. My hands shake when I pull the door open, and there, mixed with my clothes and hangers, there’s the one I can’t stop thinking about. I open my mouth, but before I can tell him anything, his strong hands warp my chin, keeping me quiet.

* * *

(Jason’s P.O.V.)

When she pulls the door open, I react instinctively, covering her mouth with my hand, as to silent her scream. A scream that doesn’t come. Her eyes go wide with fear over my sudden my touch, her battle mode kicks in, and she punch me in the chest, taking away my air and causing me to stumble backwards and fall to the floor covered in clothes and shoes.

“Stop. I’m not here to hurt you”, I say in a hurry, before strikes again. She pauses for a moment, but then she lets go of her attack position.

“What the fuck are you doing in my closet?”, she asks, her voice a bit shaky.

“I can’t think of any good excuse for that in the moment. But if I do, I’ll make sure to tell you”, I try to joke my way out of this situation.

“Oh, you’re so funny”, she says dryly to me, before glancing towards the bedroom door and then back to where I am. “Need help getting up?”, she suggests and reaches out her hand, and that’s when I notice I am still of the ground.

I take her soft hand in mine, and she pulls me back to my feet. I thank her, and she moves a few steps back. That’s when her towel falls to the ground.

* * *

I’m about to point to the window and tell him to leave, not that I really want him to, but I can’t risk someone hearing him, but before I can do that, the fragile knot in my towel undoes itself, and the pink tissue falls on the ground, leaving me fully exposed.

I can’t move, I can’t think. All I can do is stand there, naked, as my face begins to blush, and he watches me, expressionless. In my mind, different scenarios begin to form. Maybe we will kiss, maybe he will laugh, maybe he will just run away. God, I hope he doesn’t run away. God, I hope he comes closer and holds me in his arms.…

When the silence becomes too strange, he steps closer, picks the towel from the floor, and hand it over to me. I grab it, but don’t it to cover myself again. Our next moves look like a dance, he steps forwards, I go backwards. I reach for his hand, and he holds mine. Slowly and carefully, without taking our eyes off each other, we make our way to my bed.

* * *

(Jason’s P.O.V.)

I don’t know what to do, so I just stand there, waiting for her to move. Her body is beautiful. Her breasts are perky, and her nipples are upright because of the chilly air of the night. Or maybe for other reasons I don’t allow my mind to wonder. Her abdomen is well defined given the constant exercise, and so is her thighs. Her wet hair hangs loose on her face, and her E/C eyes now look darker. I let myself think if it might be from lust. We just stay there. She doesn’t say a word, nor do I. She doesn’t move, nor do I.

I can’t stop staring at her. But I shouldn’t be staring at her. So I hand her the towel, if her body is hidden, then I can’t crave for it so badly. She grabs it, but doesn’t use to cover herself, she just holds it in her arms. I move forward, and she gives a step back. At first, I think she’s trying to get away from me, but then she reaches for my hand, and I hold her other one. And we move, holding hands and still looking into each other eyes, towards her lavender scented bed. I look for any sign of hesitation in her, but don’t find any. Maybe she doesn’t know what she’s doing. She can’t truly be taking me for her bed, right? And even if she is, it can’t be because she wants to have sex, can it?

No, there’s no way she would want me in that way. She is too soft and pure. I am rough and damaged. She's perfect and I’m broken. She can’t think of me the way I think of her. I shouldn’t think of her the way I do.

But we walk until the back of her legs hit the wood in the bed frame. And she sits, just where I was sitting minutes ago. Or was it hours? I can’t tell how long we have been in this room. She sits and look up to me, waiting for me to do something. So I hold the edge of my gray t-shirt and take it off.

* * *

When he takes off his shirt, I gasp. He has a perfect six pack. Not that I hadn’t seen it before in his house, but now it’s different. He took his shirt out for me. I can’t help the urge to kiss his muscles, and I lean forward, placing my lips in his bellybutton. He stays still. Every second that goes by and he doesn’t move is a sign he wants to continue. Continue what, I have no idea. I don’t know what we are doing, I only know it feels right. That I don’t want to stop.

I undo his belt as his hands caress my face. He doesn’t stop me even when I begin to pull off his pants. He put his hands on my shoulder and carefully push to the mattress, lowering his strong body over me. I cover his mouth with mine, and we share a passionate kiss. I take off his boxers, his hands joining mine to make it faster. I don’t know what to expect when his cock touches my skin. It’s wet and strong. I’m wet and soft. It’s like this was meant to be.

His fingers trail my boobs, stopping to pinch my nipples, and my back arch towards him. I let a moan escape my lips and he smiles.

“Is this your first time?”, he asks and lowers his mouth to bite and suck my nipple.

I try to say ‘yes’, but all that come out is more moans. It feels like my body is going to dissolve under his touch. He flips us, and now I’m on top of him. I straddle my legs around his waist, sitting on his thighs, just belong his hardened manhood. I know I should lower myself in it, but it feels like rushing things. There so many things I wanna do, some many things I have thought of. So instead of that, I put my mouth in it.

I have never done anything like this before, but years of hearing the seniors talking in the bathrooms added with some explicit fanfics I read online gave me a pretty good idea of what to do. I begin slowly, not sure how it will fit in my mouth, but once the tip is in, the rest just follows. He moves so he’s a sitting position, and tangles his hand on my hair, guiding my mouth up and down his length. With his other hand, he plays with my nipples, making me moan again, and send vibrations down his cock. The taste is different of anything I ever felt. Good different, not bad different. I begin to go faster, and he throws his head back in pleasure. I can feel it begin to release a liquid, which I recall being a sign the he’ll be coming soon. He star to pound into me faster, and any control I had over the velocity and depth of it is now lost. I feel like I’m choking, and tears begin to form in my eyes. I hold them, because I fear that if they fall, he will stop, and I don’t want him to. Finally, he shoots his load down my throat, and I swallow it all. He pulls me up into a kiss, before flipping us again.

His mouth begins to kiss down my body, stopping just about my pelvis. He looks up to up can whisper, so lowly I can barely hear. “May I?”

I nod my head in agreement, and he proceeds to kiss his way to my clit. When he begins to suck it, I think he whole world has disappeared, and the only thing left is us. Waves of pleasure runs through my body, and I begin to rock my hips towards his mouth. He then slid his fingers on my folds, before inserting his index in my vagina. He curves it upwards, hitting my g-stop and I have to hold back a scream of pleasure. All I want to do is scream his name, but I can’t. Not with my brother in the room in the front, and Dick, Alfred and Bruce somewhere in the manor. So I just carve my fingernails on his shoulders, leaving dark marks in it.

When I first feel the lightness, I don’t know what it is. It’s like every nerve on my body is on fire. I begin to shake, and I can’t feel my own weight. My vision turns white, and I can’t feel anything except pleasure. That’s it. That’s how an orgasm feel. Caroline Smith was right. This is definitely the best thing ever.

* * *

The next morning I wake alone in my bed. A note written in a calligraphy I had never seen before is in the nightstand.  _ ‘I had a great time, love. I hope you also had fun. See you soon’ _ . It wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be.

As I put on my school uniform and head over to breakfast, the only thing I can think of is Jason, and how last night had been the best of my life.


	9. Follow Me Down

(Tim’s P.O.V.)

Despite the fact that Stephanie kept talking, I couldn’t bring myself to pay attention, not when Y/N wasn’t there. In my head, I play different scenarios as to why she didn’t come for lunch. They vary from “studying in the library” to “been kidnapped” or even “bat-emergency”, but neither of them make sense. If she was studying, she would have texted me saying so, she was too strong to be taken against her will, and if Bruce needed help, he would have called me to, after all, I’m his Robin. So I just sat there, pretending to care as the blonde girl spoke and thinking about my sister. I check my phone one more time, and still to messages. Maybe I was being a little paranoid.

“Cut the shit, okay?”, Steph states angrily, bringing me back to reality. “It’s like your body is here, but your mind is not. What’s going on?”

“There’s nothing going on.”

“Oh, so what have I been talking about for the past 10 minutes?” She inquires and crosses her arms in a bossy look. I have to concentrate to not roll my eyes at her.

“I have no idea”, I admit and her red lips curves into a smile.

“I knew it! Now, what’s going on?”

“I just can’t find Y/N.” It’s not a lie, but I don’t tell her why it worries me so much.

“I saw her going to the chemistry lab when I was coming here. She’s likely just finishing some assignment.”

“Then why didn’t the tell me so? She wouldn’t just cancel on me.”

“Maybe she just wanted to leave us alone”, she says with a shrug, and she slides closer to me on the bench we are sharing

“Why would she want that?”, I ask, genuinely puzzled. She comes even closer, so close that our legs are touching

“So we could do this”, and then she puts her lips on mine are kisses me. I’m too startled to react at first, but as soon as my body seem to begin to function again, I push her away, grab my backpack from the floor and run.

As I race towards the red doors that lead to the hallway, I can hundreds of eyes staring at me, and even more staring at Stephanie, who looks like she’s about to cry.

* * *

I could barely concentrate in class. Between the thoughts of Jason in my mind, and Stephanie gossiping in my ear, anything the teacher was saying was a blur.

“Do you really think he likes me?”, my best, and only, friend asked me again.

“Yes. If he didn’t he wouldn’t be hanging out with you. Plus, he gets all sensitive if anyone mentions you. I’m 90% sure he’s crushing on you.”

I didn’t pay attention on her reply, because the bell rang and I rushed to get to my next class, that was on the other side of the school. I sat down on an empty desk in the front row and, since the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, took my phone out of my pocket to finish reading an e-book about the different venomous frogs from America. Plan that I changed the moment I noticed a message from an unknown number. Somehow, I knew it had to be Jason.

_Unknown: Hey, u in school right now?_

_Me: Jason?_

_Unknown: Who else could it be, little bird?_

_Me: How'd u get my number?_

_Jason: From ur phone, last night. But r u in class?_

_Me: Yes. Y?_

_Jason: Meet me on the chem lab. Lunch time_

_Me: How do u know where I study?_

_Jason: U ask way too many questions. See u soon ; )_

* * *

I tried not to catch attention as I turned to the hallway that lead to the labs. I had no idea of how Jason would get inside, but if he could break into the Wayne Manor, he sure could invade a school.

“Hi, pretty!”, his voice called me the moment I stepped in the lab. He was sitting on the teacher’s desk, legs hanging in the air and looking like he just came out of an underwear commercial. And by what I had seen last night, he could definitely do an underwear commercial.

I closed the door behind me and walked, taking a sit on his side.

“So, you wanted to see me”

“I thought we should talk.”

“Or maybe not talk?”, I suggested and tried my best to give a playful smile.

If we started talking, we would have to go into all the things I didn’t wanted to think about. Like how would our relationship work? Were we even together? What had happened to him? Why had he turned against Bruce? Would he stop killing? I was afraid of the answers to those questions.

I closed the distance between us and pulled him into a kiss. Crawling to the top of the table without letting him go, I allowed my hands to wonder through his body, feeling every muscle of his. His right hand groped by breast, giving me flashbacks from when we first met. I pulled away from the kiss gasping for air, and a crazy idea hit me.

“Do you want to get the hell out of here?”, I invited him, landing my hands on his shoulders.

“Don’t you have class?”

“Like I would be the first teenager to skip classes.”

“I didn’t know you were a bad girl”, he said with a smile. Not just a normal smile. It was like he could read my mind and discover all the dirty things I had ever thought about. It was the kind of smile that made me want to undress and have sex with him right there. That idea filled my mind, and words became difficult to find.

But instead of taking off my clothes, I came out of the table and picked my purse from the floor where it had fallen. He went to the window, which opened easily and he jumped to the school parking lot, with me right behind. His motorcycle looked displaced between the fancy cars, and I wondered if that was how he felt when he studied here.

I hold tight on him, not wanting to fall, as he speeds out of the school gates, and soon we are free to do whatever we want. I undo my ponytail, and my hair is blown by the wind.

“So, where do you wanna go?”, he asks and I take a moment before I answer.

“Take me to the Robinson park.”

Truly, it didn’t really matter where we were going. He could drive us to hell, and I would be glad.

* * *

(Tim’s P.O.V.)

At first, I don’t understand what I’m seeing, but then they pull apart and I realize it was my sister and Jason making out the lab. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe she is kissing him again. Or that he’s here. I lower myself so they can’t see me spying through the window in the door and try to concentrate in their voices. It’s too muffled to understand much of the conversation.

Why would she be doing this? She can’t possible rather kiss him than have lunch with me, can she? We are siblings, best friends. There must be a reason as to why she came meet him. Maybe she was being forced into doing this. Anything was better than the possibility she liked him.

I decide to peek through the keyhole, and I see she’s jumping the window that leads to the garden and going after him. She’s skipping classes? Something serious must be going on. I run to the nearest exit and use the building detail to climb to the roof. I don’t have time to change into my Robin uniform, so I just take off the blazer and the tie while I run from rooftop from rooftop, following that bright red motorcycle that belongs to Jason. Even with the traffic, I can’t keep up with them, and soon, they become just a red spot in the darkness of Gotham.


	10. Way Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason has just helped Y/N escape school, and now they enjoy an afternoon together... Until Tim gets there

Jason leaves his motorcycle near the park and I get off of it, just now realizing that I rode without a helmet. Robinson park is the biggest one in Gotham City, and the only part of the town where gray isn’t the main color. Around the square, 4 great white buildings stood out. The biggest of them was the Mayor’s office, and in it’s left, the city’s main courthouse, in the right, the GCPD police plaza, and sitting in front of it, the Gotham Art Museum. I took Jason’s hand and pulled him towards the gallery. It was time I finally finished watching their new exhibit (that by now, wasn’t that new anymore).

“Have you been here before?”, I ask, as we walk the steps to the big entryway

“Not in a long time”, his voice is distant. I wonder if he has some bad memories of this place. Or maybe he’s just not as excited as I am, but if this was the case, he would have said so, wouldn’t he?

He doesn’t say anything else as I pay for our entries fees and begin showing him around. I take my time explaining to him what is the meaning behind each painting and sculpture while he nods. Although I try to not do it, my brain keeps comparing this with visit the last time I was here, with Dick. My foster brother might not be the biggest art fan, but at least he had showed some interest in it. Jason, on the other hand, seemed bored after the second floor, and he wasn’t even trying to pretend to care about it anymore.

I should have taken him somewhere nicer. I had never gone on a date before, but I should have known a museum would be a bad idea. Especially with someone like Jason… He is older and cooler than me, and I don’t think he thought I would bring him here when he helped me escape school. To be honest this wasn’t what I had in mind when I got on his bike, but my stupid brain couldn’t think of anything better. As we pass the elevator, a crazy idea crosses my mind.

“Hey, wanna go to the roof? The city view is quite stunning.”

“Sure, and later we could eat something, I’m getting hungry.”

I nod in agreement and enter the elevator, followed by him. The roof is used mainly for smoking, but since it’s the middle of a weekday and the museum was almost empty, I wouldn’t be surprised if I found nobody up there. Actually, I was counting on that.

The doors opened and we stepped out into the sunshine. For a miracle, it wasn’t raining in Gotham. We could see the park bellow, the kids playing in the paddle boat in the lake, and the green trees. Some even had flowers in them, making the view even more stunning. On my side, Jason let out a sigh.

“I had forgotten how beautiful the city could be”, he said, softly. “We spend so much time fighting that we don’t have time to appreciate what we’re protecting.”

I twist my torso so I’m face to face with him and we share a passionate kiss. I liked the soft, emotive side he had just showed, right now, he seemed more like the boy in the pictures at the manor than the ruthless vigilante that Dick described him as. No, that boy was also angry most of the time. This was a new façade of him that I had never expected to see.

I warped my hands around his waist, pulling him closer to me. His hands caressed my hair, his mouth leaving mine to suck marks on my neck. My back arched in pleasure, like it had done last night. My hands wander lower into his back, almost touching his ass. I have a sudden fear that someone is watching us, but looking around, there’s nobody other than the two of us. Noticing my uneasiness, he slowly lets my hair go and steps back.

“Is it everything okay?”, he asks, following my gaze as I scan the terrace.

“I just… I felt like we were being watched. I suppose I’m just paranoid for skipping classes”, I answer and take his hands in mine. It seems silly, but I feel like something bad is going to happen. I just want to go home. “Maybe I should get going, I’ll tell Alfred I felt sick and took a cab to the manor.”

“You sure?”, he looked disappoint, and my heart sank heavily. I didn’t want to leave him there, but I felt the need to go. So I nod my head in agreement and step towards the elevator, waiting for him to follow, but he just waves his hand at me, as a way to say he will stay.

The doors close and I sigh in relief. Whatever the reason was, I just didn’t want to be out there in the open anymore.

* * *

(Tim’s P.O.V.)

I didn’t felt like going back to school. There was nothing important going on anyway. I was way more curious at where my sister was, and why she had left with Jason Todd. I was beginning to dislike that guy. Not like I’m over protective, Y/N can do whatever she wants with whoever she wants for all that I care, but Jason was bad for her. But he was also very charming, so it makes sense she would fall for him. I guess she must be in love, otherwise, how to explain her weird behavior?

It didn’t take long for me to figure out where they went, especially since she didn’t bother to turn off the Find my Friends function on her phone. The museum was a strange place to go when skipping school, even being one of hers favorite places. The only problem was that the museum was huge, and she could be anywhere.   

Luckily (or maybe unfortunately, it depends on how you look at it) find them on the rooftop, just as I land on it (traffic is crazy in Gotham, roof-jumping is way better). His body is pressed to hers and their mouths are connected. I feel a strange ache in my chest as he begins to suck marks on her neck. Who he think he is? Why is she letting him do that? Okay so maybe I was a little overprotective. The hot blood pounding in my ears takes away my concentration on their talk, but eventually, I see she is leaving.

* * *

(Jason’s P.O.V.)

I’m not a fan of museums, but she seemed to like it, so I try my best to pretend to be interest, but at some point, I can’t even fake it anymore. That’s why I nod enthusiast when she mentions the roof. She’s not wrong, the view of the town is gorgeous. But she’s even more. The school uniform is still the same from back when I studied there, but unlike in the other girls, it fitted her perfectly.

When I first texted her, the idea was to meet to let it clear that last night couldn’t happen again. It had been amazing, but she was far too young for this thing. Plus, she was Bruce’s daughter, and although I wasn’t with good terms with him at the moment, I was still his son. Which made her my sister. Kind of, anyway. But any plan I had changed when she walked in the lab. And changed even more as she lays her soft lips on mine, pulling me into an embrace.

That’s why it upsets me so much when she backs off and leaves. But that’s still a good thing, because I still need to stop whatever is happening between us, and the more she touches me, the less strength to do that I have. I’m so lost in my own thoughts I don’t even see him coming at me until he hits me and I fall.

* * *

(Tim’s P.O.V.)

Rage and anger clouding my judgement, I run from my position to him. The impact of our chests makes him fall on the ground, and I straddle him, punching his nose, not hard enough to bleed, but enough to make him growl in pain.

But he’s stronger than me, and soon, he has me pinned to the ground, with no way to move. His blue eyes stares at me, calculating his next move. His eyes are not the same shade of blue as Dick, they are darker, and somewhat mysterious. My heart race faster as I look back at him, trying not show any sign of weakness.    

* * *

(Jason’s P.O.V.)

He has the right to be angry. He must have seen me kissing his sister. But punching me was a little too much. I flip us over so I’m on top, and it reminds me from when I first met Y/N. We got in a similar position during that fight. There’s something about the way Tim is looking at me that makes me feel guilty. He has got judging eyes similar to Bruce’s, even though they are not really related. I don’t wanna fight the kid, I just want to get away without having more trouble with bats. ‘Kid’, yeah, he’s just a kid. And so is his sister. With who I had had sex last night. And almost repeated it moments ago.

* * *

(Tim’s P.O.V.)

His gaze is hypnotizing, and I shift my focus towards his lips. A big mistake. I can’t help but think of how they had just touched Y/N’s. They look soft and have a reddish color, lighter than my sister’s, but still intense. She also had pretty lips. And both of their lips had just kissed, really kissed. Not like that half-hearted kiss Steph and I shared (half-hearted because my heart wasn’t in it, but hers was). Steph lips don’t look like that, they have a pale pink and look dry, not very kissable. Unlike the ones from the man on top of me, and those that had just touched his.

Was it weird that I thought of Y/N as kissable? Was me over analyzing lips and kisses while trapped in the arms of Red Hood weird? Was it weird I was seriously considering trying to kiss him? Even if it’s just to see how my sister felt when she did?

Those thoughts vanished from me head, for he stood up and turned his back at me. I consider using the opportunity to bring him down again, but dismiss it, and just lay on the ground as he exit my view.


	11. Hold Me Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim confront Y/N about Jason.

“You arrived early”, Alfred comments as I walk into the kitchen to get something to drink. “When Tim texted that you two would go to the library, I thought it would take hours for both of you to get back.”

I check the clock. My class would have finished half hour ago, had I been there until the end. I had no idea why Tim was covering for me. I check my phone to find 3 unanswered calls from my brother and a couple texts from Stephanie.

“Oh, there wasn’t anything very interesting, plus I remembered I had to finish my English essay”, I quickly come up with an excuse to leave, turning my back to the fridge, forgetting to even take the drink I came in for.  

“Hey Y/N”, Dick greets as I pass by him, who is sitting in the couch. I ignore him, not being in the mood to talk. When I don’t say anything, he stands up and, and with his long legs, reaches me, grabbing my wrist. “You look upset. Is everything okay?”

“I’m just tired”, it’s like he can see I am lying, for he raises his eyebrow in disbelief. I try to pull free, but his grip is strong. “I don’t wanna talk right now, can I just go?”

A hurt look crosses his face and he steps closer, so closer I can feel his hot breath, but before he can say anything else, Tim erupts out of the front door.

“You won’t believe what happened in school today”, my brother exclaims as he kicks the wooden door closed.

And in that moment, my heart freezes, for I am sure he will tell Dick how I disappeared after lunch.

* * *

(Tim’s P.O.V.)

After what I had already seen today, nothing much could surprise me, except for finding Y/N and Dick centimeters away in the hallway, in a very intense conversation. Or a after kiss conversation. Could she be kissing him too? She looks shocked to see me, maybe even afraid. Maybe she think I’ll tell our adopted sibling about seeing her and Jason. I would never do that. Not considering what happened after she left. Anyway, she couldn’t know I had been there, for she didn’t see me, unless Jason had called her, but for some reason, I didn’t believe he would do that.

“Aren’t you gonna say? Or you just plan on leaving me curious?”, Dick inquires me, after I stayed quiet for too long. He lets go of Y/N and leans on the wall.

“Stephanie kissed me in lunch. Out of nowhere, we were just talking and then before I knew, her lips were in mine”, I confess, and glance towards my sister, who still appears frozen in place.

“Congrats, Timmy. It was already time to have your first kiss.” He says and pats me on the shoulder, in a brotherly gesture. “How was it like?”

“Awful. I didn’t want to kiss her, I don’t like her this way. I panicked and ran away.”

“Oh my god! Poor Steph, she really liked you, you know?”, my twin says, genuinely worried for our new friend.

“You knew that? Thanks for the heads up, sis.”

How come she didn’t tell me about this? Maybe if I had know how Steph felt, I wouldn’t have rejected her in front of everyone. Still on the wall, Dick seems like he doesn’t know what else to say, so he just gives me a lazy quick hug and goes to the couch, leaving me and Y/N staring at each other in the hallway.

“I want to talk to you”, I tell her. “It’s important.”

She nods and begins to walk to her room, and I follow her down the house.

* * *

“I totally should have told you that she liked you. I just thought you felt the same, and I didn’t want to get in the way of your romance”, I explain quickly, as soon as he closes the door behind us.

“It’s not about that I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh, thanks for covering for me today. I’ve a very good reason to not be in school”, I add. Of course he would want to know what I was doing.

“Yeah, I know. And it’s called Jason Todd”, he simply states and sits in the puffy brown chair in front of my desk.

“Yes. Wait. How do you know?”

“I saw you leaving and I followed you.” I open my mouth to beg for him to keep it secret but he continues. “You have to stop seeing him. After you left, he saw me there and attacked me.”

He takes off his shirt to reveal forming bruises and scratch marks. I run my fingers gently by them. I can’t believe Jason would do that, not after the moments we had shared. But here it was, my brother was the living proof of how wrong I had been. I should have listen to Dick. I go the bathroom to get the first aid medical kit I keep in there, while Tim continues to tell how Jason jumped at him and demanded to be left alone with me.

“And then, before he left, he said that if any of us ‘batboys’ ever tried to split the two of you again, he wouldn’t hesitate in using his guns.” My twin concludes the story, and I can’t hold back the tears anymore, so the run freely by my cheeks.

* * *

(Tim’s P.O.V.)

I shouldn’t have lied. But thinking of (and seeing) her and Jason left me very jealous. Besides, he was capable of doing what I claimed he had. And he did leave those bruises.

As she begins to cry, kneeling in front of me as she cleans the bruises and cuts, I decide I did the right thing. I’m just protecting her from a bad guy. A very bad guy with very nice looks. As her sobbing becomes more intense, she leaves the medical kit aside and buries her face in my chest, and I hug her. Her hair smells like vanilla, and her warm tears feel nice against my cold skin.

My sister might be one of the bet warriors I had ever seen, but right now, she seems helpless, and I can’t help but feel guilty. No, I shake that thought away. I have done what’s best for her. Or was it what’s best for me?

She tilts her head up, looking me in the eyes, and I feel exactly what I should have felt when Stephanie kissed me. I feel the butterflies, and the longing, mixed with fear of rejection. Everything I should feel when looking to my sister. And I realize this isn’t the first time I have had those feeling for her, just that now they have become intensified, as if seeing her with another had awaken something I didn’t knew there was in me.

* * *

I feel like a small child that discovered that Santa isn’t real. Finally having no tears left to cry, I push away from my brother and look for the box, getting a Snow-White Band Aid (Disney Princess Band Aid’s are always the best to protect your injuries) and placing it over the scratch in his ribs. He lets out a small laugh when he see it.

“There you go. Now it should heal fast”, I say and kiss the spot, giggling a little. He looks at me sweetly, and I’m glad he doesn’t judge my actions. Even if it caused him to get hurt.

I’m happy that no matter what happens, Tim will always be here for me. I know that no matter what, he will never stop loving me. And right now, I hold on this feeling with all my strength, because if I don’t, I will crumble.  

* * *

(Tim’s P.O.V.)

I can’t help anymore. My brain put together all the pieces of the puzzle, to form the conclusion it was so obvious all along. I’m in love with Y/M. I’m in love with my sister. So I do what anyone in love would do, I kiss her. She tastes like salt (from the tears she had been crying) and strawberry (from that Chapstick she always use), it’s a curious mixture, but it’s pleasant. And she doesn’t push me away. But she doesn’t pull me closer either, she just stays there, as my tongue invade her mouth and our saliva’s mix. All the while I stare into her E/C eyes, and she stares back into mine.

And then finally she moves. After what feels like a long time, her tongue make way into my lips, pushing them apart. And this kiss is everything that a kiss should be. I’m melting into her, and she’s melting into me. It’s a bond deeper than anything I ever felt. We had always been connected by mind and soul, and now, our bodies are one.  And I hold her, not wanting to let her go, not now, not ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if it feels like I have hushed thing.  
> Also, this is by far my favorite chapter by now, hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did.


	12. Slow Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That's it. Finally a new chapter since I returned from my long hiatus. Hope you guys like :)

At I first I didn’t understand what was happening. Tim was kissing me? What? But I still kissed him back. More out of pity than for desire. I had never thought of him like that, but after everything that had just happened, I decided it was better to kiss him. 

Finally, he pulls back. His hands are shaking as he holds me. “So…”, he says awkwardly. 

“Yeah”. That’s all I can think of a reply.

“Was that okay?”

Though question. What could I possible tell him? I just nod and pull myself back up. “I’m sorry he did this to you. I should have known better.”

He rises from the chair, eyes meeting mine. “It’s not your fault.”

“Are we still going to go after him?”, I ask. I kind of wanted to, he was playing with us, treating us like toys he could manipulate as he liked. I hated him for it.

“Should we? I mean, when we began we wanted to make Bruce proud and find the truth.”

“ _ Make Bruce proud? _ When we began, you were basically trying to prove Bruce was the reason Jason faked his death.” I was the one thinking about impressing Bruce, and he was the only wanting to find some creepy secret.

“Okay, yeah. But we now know that there’s nothing. It was just him messing with us, like Dick had said. And we have only got in trouble by trying to apprehend Red Hood.”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

He smiles. “Yes. Let’s bring in the bastard.”

I thank him and he leaves to his room. Capturing Jason wouldn’t take away what he did, but it would leave me a bit more in peace with myself. And we still didn’t know what had happened during Jason’s time as Robin, and if there’s something that us Drakes hate is not knowing.

* * *

(Jason’s P.O.V.)

After I left the museum, I was annoyed and angry. A terrible combination. I went to the stupid house I was crashing in (it made the warehouse seem like a five stars hotel) and drink until it was dark enough to go out. Fuck Batman. Fuck Robin. Fuck Flamebird. Fuck them all. I put on my gear and choose some of my coolest guns. I missed that. The guns, the fights, the killing.

The night was cold, which was usual for Gotham, and people walked covered in long coats. I took place on a high building at the Narrows and began to watch for signs of criminal activity. I imagined that somewhere not far away, Y/N and her stupid brother were doing the same. Only that they would throw batarangs and not bullets.

It didn’t take long for me to spot a group of men dressed in dark clothing carrying guns. I aimed at one in the middle of the group and pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced his head, and he fell dead. The others paused to see what happend. Before they can do anything, I jump and land right in front of them. I pull the trigger time and time again, not caring who I was hitting, nor if I was hitting anything at all. I stop only when the nine men laid dead on the floor around me. Blood soaks the walls of the alley. 

* * *

Tonight, I got partnered with Dick. He didn’t have a Nightwing-mobile, but his motorcycle was pretty cool. 

“Nightwing”, Batgirl calls. The communicator in my mask made it sound like she was in my brain. 

“Here”, Dick replies, as he makes a curve with the motorcycle, passing by a red light.

“Killer Croc has escaped whichever prison he was in. He was reported to be in a strip club on Gotham Village two minutes ago. Sending the address. Can you check on that?”

My wrist computed shinned with the message of the location. We were close, but it would take us away from our route to the East End. We should be going to investigate a possible gun smuggling operation ran by Blockbuster. 

“Can’t your birds go?”, Dick asked.

“Nope, Black Canary is out of town and I’m busy down on Cherry Hill.”

DIck signs. “Okay, we’re going.” He takes a sharp curve and heads back from where we had just come from. 

Judging by the lack of cars parked in front of the club, it was safe to say that Croc was really in there. The security guard on the front don’t even try to stop us, and opens the door to let us do our job.

“Killer Croc”, Nightwing calls.

The creature turns its head to see us. I couldn’t call him a human, he didn’t look one nor behaved like one. His grotesque appearance made me shiver. 

He laughs. It’s a weird laugh, too sharp and loud. “Baby-bat!”, he chuckles again, and I almost join him. I can’t believe he just called Dick ‘baby-bat’. 

Nightwing reaches to his escrima sticks, and I prepare to fight. None of the other men around us move. I would bet that more than half of them have a criminal file. 

Croc doesn’t even get up. “Haven’t you heard I’m a free man?”, he searches for something in his pockets, and Dick attacks, hitting him in the arm and making him drop what he was holding. Only that it wasn’t a weapon. It was a letter. I pick up.

“Nightwing. It says here that he had been acquitted of all charges. It’s signed by Amanda Waller.” The name was familiar, but I couldn’t quite place from where. 

“Let me see that”, he says, pulling the letter from my hand. 

The place has gone back to normal, and the three of us are being completely ignored. The strippers dance and the audience throw money. Whatever curiosity or fear they had from us was now gone.

“It seems legit”, my brother reluctantly gives it back to Croc. “But know something, you will be watched. If we find you doing anything shady, you are back to Blackgate.”

Croc laughs. “Right, whatever. Can I go back to enjoying the show?”

Nightwing gives a warning gaze to the other in the room and we leave.

“Batgirl?”, he calls once we are on the motorcycle, back on route. “Croc was declared innocent by A.R.G.U.S., can you look into it?”

Before Babs can reply, we hear gunshots coming from somewhere nearby. I take my grappling hook and aim it at the fire escape of the nearest building. I swing away, followed close by Dick. Once we reach a high rooftop, we split to cover more ground and find the shooter. 

I stop, seeing nine bloody corpses on the street underneath. A single cartridge on the roof floor indicates that only one of the shots was fired from up here. I open an evidence bag and put it inside. I jump to the street, to analyze the dead men, and send my location to Dick, so he can meet me. 

There’s blood everywhere, and each man was covered by more bullet holes than I could could. That was scene that made me sick. 

“Flamebird, you okay?”, Nightwing calls, resting a hand on my shoulder. I hadn't even noticed he had arrived.

“Yep. Couldn’t be better”, I lie to him. Truly, I feel like I’m going to throw up. There are pieces of many internal organs splattered on the alley. It was disgusting.

“I think you should go home”, Nightwing say in a serious voice, handing me the keys. “Take the motorcycle, I can take a ride with Batman later.”

I don’t even try to argue. I don’t want to stay on the scene another minute. I hop on the seat and begin to speed away. 

* * *

(Jason’s P.O.V.)

It was a stupid idea, but I’m full of those so it shouldn’t come as a surprise. No, I shouldn’t have followed Flamebird as she drove away from the allay. But I still did just that. I made sure to stay always a few cars behind her, so she wouldn’t realise she was being followed. But eventually she took a curve that led into an empty street. 

She turned her head slightly, as to make sure it was really me that was behind her, and then pushed the accelerator to it’s limits. She was running from me.

Knowing her destination made it easy to predict what street she would take next, so I took a shortcut to intercept her just as she passed through the docks. Even in the dim light of the lampposts, I could see her eyes going wide as she pressed the brakes to avoid crashing into me, and managed to skid seconds before hitting me. Before she can fully stop, she loses the grip on the handles and her body goes flying down the deserted street. SHIT!

* * *

Fucking bastard! He had followed me from the moment I left Dick. Of course he had been the responsible for that bloodshed. I had taken every opportunity to lose him on the traffic, but he kept following me. And then just as I think I finally got rid of him, he shows up out of nowhere on the road in front of me.

I didn’t have time to think. I moved on instinct and tried to avoid the crash. But then my body went flying and the next thing I know, all air is being forced out of my lungs. My head hits the concrete and I hear a loud crack. I raise my fingers  to check the injury, and they become sticky with blood. Great, a mild head injury in the best scenario. I stumble back to my feet and try to reach the motorbike, which had fallen a few feet away from me. 

All while he watches. I couldn’t believe it was the same person with who I had spent my afternoon with. But he clearly was the same one who threatened my brother. And who had slaughtered those men. Anger burns over me. I was so stupid. I am so stupid. 

My vision begins to blur again and my legs tremble, but before I fall again, he wraps his strong arms around by waist. 

“I got you”, he whispers with that horrific mechanical voice. 

I twist in his hold. “Let me go!” 

“I didn’t mean to hurt you”, he tries to justify, as I keep trying to break away. Finally, I manage to kick him in the knee with enough strength for him to let go of me, and I run away. Well, I don’t exactly run, it’s more like a teetering. And thanks to Bruce’s super technology and whatever he used to make the motorbike, it’s still functioning. I race away from him, taking the strangest route back home, all to make sure he doesn’t find me again.


	13. Stay Down

(Tim’s P.O.V)

She got home hurt and shaking. She didn’t need to tell me what happened, I could see it in her eyes.

“I’m fine, Alfred”, she tells him as he takes care of the cut running from her eyebrow to her hairline. “I was just driving too fast, and then I had to hit the brakes to avoid running over a stray dog, and well, that’s it.”

Alfred huffs in disbelief. “Miss Drake, you are lucky you got home at all.” He illuminates her eyes with a medical pen light, and she flinches a little. 

“I was wearing a helmet! It can’t be that bad”, she dismiss the matter, “I’m okay, just  need a good night of sleep. See you tomorrow, Alfred.” 

She gets up and loosens her bun, her H/C hair cascading on her back. She stretches with an yawn and takes the stairway upstairs. I’m quick to follow her up. 

“What did he do?”, I ask as I close the door leading to the cave. 

She turns on her heels, “You gonna need to be more specific. Who are you talking about?”

“He-who-must-not-be-named”

She rolls her eyes. “I didn’t even see him tonight, kay? It was just a stray dog.”

I chuckled. “I know you too well to believe it.”

“Believe what you want. I’m going to bed”, she opened her bedroom door, but didn’t close it, and I took it as an invitation.

“You could’ve a concussion”, I tell her as she kicks away her boots and socks. 

“I didn’t. And where’s Bruce anyway?”

She turns her back to me and pulls out her shirt. There are two bruises on her left shoulder, and I have to control the urge to hug her and kiss those small greenish spots. 

“Joker”, I inform with a shrug. It was one of our basic rules: we don’t fight Joker, no matter the circumstances. Bruce had already lost one Robin to the psycho clown, he doesn’t want to risk losing another. Or maybe he feels some short of personal vendetta against him.

Her skirt slide down her legs, followed by those hideous yellow leggings. I can’t stand to just look at her, so I stare at the huge window leading to the balcony. 

“Dick is taking care of a brutal crime scene. Lots of blood, and I’m pretty sure there was pieces of a brain splattered on the wall.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Disgusting”.

“I know, it looked like the set of a Tarantino movie”, she says laughing. With the corner of my eye I catch her slipping in her blue satin nightgown. She sits on the bed and gestures for me to do the same.

We sit close enough I can feel her body emanating heat. She doesn’t say a word, just takes my hand and squeezes. 

“You’re right. I did see him. I got hurt trying to get away”, she confesses after a while. Her voice is barely a whisper. She leans close and kiss me on the cheek. “Goodnight Timmy.”

She let go of my hand and I get up. “Night, sis.”

I don’t know why I had expected a kiss. A real kiss. Could she be having second thoughts on what happened earlier?

* * *

I had a terrible night. In my dreams, a montruous version of Jason stalked me as I walked on a garden, but when I turned to see him, he would hide behind trees. And the flowers were all gray and kind of dead. I woke up in cold sweat. After a quick shower, I was dressed and eating breakfast with my brothers. It’d be just another normal school day.

I arrived in the English room just a few seconds before the teacher and took a sit on the back. I had been late on purpose, as to avoid having to talk to Stephanie before class. 

“What happened yesterday?”, she asked after the bell rang indicating the end of the period. “Why did you arrive late?”

“I felt sick”, I answered. It wasn’t totally a lie.

“Yesterday or today?”

“Both”, I shrug, stopping to take by books to my next class. I turn to face her blue eyes. “I’m sorry for what happened with Tim. I really thought he liked you.” I felt so guilty for having kissed him back yesterday. Wasn’t kissing your friend's crush a huge crime according the girls code?

Her eyes get full of tears, and she wiped them before they could fall. “It’s okay. Silly me. Do you think he hates me now?”

“No, of course not!”, I comfort her as I walk with her to the science wing. Despite having different classes now, the rooms were in the same direction. “I’m sure he’s still your friend.”

Relief crosses her face. “I’d hate to lose one of my only two friends.”

I smile and hug her. “See you in lunch”, I tell her, already entering the class.

The teacher is explaining about Mendel and his peas when my phone buzzes. I pull it from under the desk just to see what it was.  _ You have a new message from ‘Jason’ _ , the screen informs me. 

I groan, and put the phone back. I try to focus on the explanation, but my brain drifts away. Why was it so confusing? Why couldn’t I just hate him like it was the obvious thing to do? There must have something really wrong with me. Maybe I should have talked with him last night, just to get some answers. 

“Drake!”, Ms. Albert calls, walking to my table. All my classmates are staring at me. “Have you listened to a word of what I said?”

I feel myself blush. I never get called out by teachers. “Yes, Ms. Albert”, I respond, by voice a shy whisper.

“Then what’s the answer to my question?”, she inquires raising an eyebrow. She looks like a vulture watching its prey.

I take a deep breath, trying to make myself sound confident. “Could you repeat it, please?”

“I asked how did Mendel discovered that the allele for the color yellow was dominant over green?”, she asked loud and clear.

“Ah… Because green plants would only form green descendants, but yellow would form descendants with both colors”, I told her, remembering the little I had read on genetics before. 

She sighs disappointed and goes back to whiteboard as some of my classmates chuckle. 

I allow Steph do all the conversation during lunch. She loves talking, and goes on and on about her neighbors new baby and how he cries all night and it’s driving her mad. Tim and I say ‘really?’ and ‘how awful’ or ‘interesting’ from times to time, pretending to be listening. While my mind is only on Jason, my brother doesn’t take his eyes off me, and I can tell he’s thinking about that kiss. I had kissed him out of pity by what Jason had done, somehow, I had kissed him because of Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason. WHY CAN’T I GET HIM OUT OF MY MIND?

I move mechanically throughout the rest of the day, moving when the bell rang, taking notes without really paying attention and saying what I’m expected to say.  When the last bell rings, I join Tim near the exit to wait for Alfred.

* * *

I put my hair in a tight bun and dressed in a sports bra and high-waist shorts, I enter the cave. Dick is on the computer opening and closing files on diverse minor criminals and taking notes. Tim throws punches in the sand bag.

“Hey sis, wanna practice?”, he asks when he sees me. 

I really want to say no. But that was what I had come to do, not with him, but with Dick, who was bussy, so I had no choice but agreeing. Also, I couldn’t say no when I had seen Tim’s eye glow up when he asked.

“Yeah, sure. Let me just do some stretching first”, I tell him. I go to one of the tatamis and begin exercising my legs and arms. I can feel Tim and Dick staring at me. I raise my left leg to my shoulder and I’m about to do the same with the other when I get the feeling that the room is spinning. I groan in pain I stumble to the wall. 

“You okay?”, my brother asks as he runs towards me. I try to tell him I’m fine, but it hurts to much to speak.

“It must be the head injury”, Dick says crouching by my side. “Maybe you should rest tonight.”

I manage to grumble a ‘maybe’ as Dick picks me up and carries me to my bed. He lays me down and kisses me on the temples. “I’ll be right back with a warm tea for you”, he tells me and smiles. 

Once I’m alone, I proceed to take out my clothes and change to a loose gray t-shirt that used to be Dick’s. I wrap myself in my blankets and take the book on my nightstand and begin to read.

There’s a knock on the door, and a crack is open, Tim’s head peeking in. “Brought you a tea”, he says walking in. He gives me the teacup and sits on the bed besides me. 

“Thank you”, I tell him and take I sip. It’s chamomile tea sweetened with honey, my favorite. I move to the side a little and lift the cover, inviting him to lay down with me.

He picks his phone and opens up a random instrumental playlist of Spotify, and we stay cuddled together for a long time, no sounds but the music and our breaths.

“I think we should talk about the kiss”, he finally says. 

“Oh”, I exclaim. “Okay.”

“I like you, Y/N. I think I really do.”

“Yeah, I like you too. I like many people, but kissing is something more than a normal  _ like _ , right?”

“I guess it is. I more-than-like you, than.”

“And I more-than-like you too”, I confess to him. I surprise myself at those words. I hadn’t thought about it, I just said it. “I’d just say ‘I love you’, but it might get confusing, cause I love you in a sisterly way, but I like you in a unsisterly way. Does that makes sense?”

“It doesn’t”, he said and than paused for a second, thinking, “and yet it does.”

I laugh and he follows. We return to our pleasant silent, but when time comes for him to go, I kiss him on the lips.

“We just need to take care to not do that in public”, I joke as our lips part away.

“It’s not like there aren’t rumors about it on the school”, he smiles. “I hope you get better”, he says as he closes the door.


	14. Shut Down

(Tim’s P.O.V.)

I knock on the window of a police car, and the cop sitting in the driver’s seat pauses his Candy Crush to see who was knocking. He lowers the window.

“Can I help you?”, he asks with a lazy voice.

I don’t say anything, just open the back door and stuff inside the two cuffed drug-dealers I had just captured. The cop looks at me in awe.

“Thanks, Boy Wonder”, he tells as I walk off. I hate that nickname. FIrst, is was created for Dick and second, it made me sound the sidekick of Wonder Woman, not Batman. Why not just call me Boy Bat? Or even Batboy (a alias that had seriously been considered when Bruce had first thought about having a sidekick)?

“Robin, go to the rendezvous point. Night’s over”, Batman voice penetrates my brain through the comm-link.

“Roger that; be there in five minutes”, I reply. I can bet he’s rolling his eyes, he hates when I talk like if we were in a old military movie.

The wind blows my hair as I run past the streets of Gotham. There’s a storm coming. Usually I hated the bad weather, but right now, it matched my mood.

I reach the meeting point just as the Batmobile pulls over and the back door opens. I slide in.

“How was the night?”, I ask, leaning forward and putting my face between the two front seats.

“The usual”, Batman answers casually. “Is Flamebird okay?”

“She was when I left”, I tell him. “It was just a minor bike accident. She’ll be fine.”

“Nightwing said she had a migraine earlier.”

“A minor migraine”, I correct.

“She didn’t seem fine”, Nightwing intervenes. “Alfred said it was a concussion.”

“I’ll pull her out of duty for the rest of the week”, Batman decides.

“Ow, she won’t like that”, I say.

“It won’t be a request. If she disobeys, I’ll have no choice but forbid her of putting on the suit again, for a long time”, he states and I know he’ll keep the promise.

“Maybe I’ll stay to keep her company”, the idea comes out of nowhere, but if she needs bed rest, the least I can do is be by her side. Especially since she got hurt avoiding Red Hood, and she was avoiding him because I lied.

“Alright, I’ll rework the patrol schedules”, he informs. Behind the blank voice, I know he’ll miss me. Batman needs a Robin. A Nightwing and a Flamebird are good too, but there’s no Batman without Robin, and that’s the reason why I insisted so much to take the role after Jason’s death.

When I pass the hallway, there’s no light coming from her door, but I open it just a little, so I can see her sleeping form. A little curved bump covered in floral sheets, moving slightly as she breathes. I smile and close the door, going to my own room.

* * *

After Tim leaves, I return to my reading, and after finishing it, I try to sleep. But I can’t my brain is just way to active. I pick my phone to check and time, and I notice the still unread message from Jason. I open it, just to the stupid orange dot that marks the texts will disappear from the corner of the icon. I hate when there’s those stupid dots!

_Jason: Hope ur kay. Didn't mean to scare u off_

I begin typing a ‘fuck off’, then erase it. I type three other curse words and erase each of them, before deciding on what to send.

_Me: Heads fine. Not thx 2 u_

I’m about to close my eyes again when the phone buzzes with a new text.

_Jason: Thought u wouldn’t answer. Glad ur better_

_Me: Just leave Tim alone_

_Me: and fuck off_

_Jason: What did I do?_

I wanted to slap him. How did he dare to act like he had done nothing? Too angry to keep texting, I turn off my phone and enter a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

(Jason’s P.O.V.)

It pissed me off that she had read the message and ignored it. One moment she wants to have sex and the other she doesn’t even text back? What the fuck was going on in that brain of hers?

_This is getting pathetic. I’m not some teenager desperately in love. She doesn’t want me? Fine, there are others who do. She’s not as smart, pretty or strong as she likes to pretend. She’s pretty much average._

I tell myself that like a mantra in my head, but it’s so clearly a lie that I can’t even fool myself. And to think that this started as a way to turn Bruce’s newest protégés against him. I punch the wall on front of me, leaving a small dent on it.

Unfortunately for the low-lifes of Gotham, when I’m angry, I tend to shoot things in the head. Oh well, another mess for Bruce to clean up. The sounds of the cartridges hitting the ground and the bullets piercing into skin drive my thoughts away, until my mind is fully set on kill mode. So much better than to overthink emotional issues.

* * *

I wake up feeling invigorated. Any lasting pain from the accident was gone, and I feel like I could run through all of Gotham. And that’s why I don’t understand when Bruce informs me I’m out of patrol for the rest of week.

“Why the hell am I grounded?”

“You are not grounded, Y/N. This is for your safety. You need to rest”, Bruce explains.

“I’m fine-”, I begin to reply, but he gives me a look and I decide it’s better to stay quiet. He wants me out of action? Fine by me. I turn on my heels and head to my bedroom angrily.

I drop on my bed annoyed. My phone beeps with a text, and I roll over to reach it.

_Steph: Hey! Can we talk?_

_Me: Sure, what’s up?_

_Steph: U home?_

_Me: Yeah_

_Steph: Can I sleepover? Pls, things at here aren’t good at all_

_Me: Of course! Your dad is back?_

_Steph: Unfortunately… Be there soon._

I get up to shower and get ready. At least I’d have some company tonight.

* * *

(Steph’s P.O.V.)

The subway is crowded, and I have to push my way to the end of it. I run my shaking hands over my jeans to dry off the sweat. I knew my father would be released today, but I didn’t think Mom would let him back. After everything he had done, how could she just let him enter our lives again? No matter what the doctors say, he’s still crazy. That kind of psychosis can’t be cured with medicines and therapy. They shouldn’t have allowed him to exit Arkham.  

I hug tight the blue backpack in which I have packed everything I’d need for the night. Thank God I have someone to count on. My heart races faster with the excitement of having a sleepover. I’ve never gone to a slumber party.

An hour later I arrive at the imposing gates of the Wayne Manor. I press the red button on the buzzer and wait.

“Yes?”, a british guy calls from the other side.

I clear my throat and speak up. “Hi, I’m Stephanie Brown. Y/N invited me over.”

“Of course, welcome Miss Brown”, the man replies. The gates begin to open, and I get a good view of the huge front lawn of the manor.

I had seen the house in photographs, but seeing it live was another thing. It was four floors high, and easily 250 feet wide. It was breathtaking. The cobblestone road that lead to the front door was lined with colorful flower beds.

There was a movement in the large wooden door, and Y/N came running towards me.

“Steph!”, I screamed as she threw her arms around my neck, pulling me into a hug. I hugged her back.

“Thanks for having me.”

“My pleasure. My father and brothers are going out tonight to watch a baseball game, so I would be by myself. Now I have someone to keep me company”, she said smiling. She took me by the hand and dragged me towards the house.

* * *

I had brought in a spare mattress so Steph would have somewhere to sleep, and soon we were laying on the floor, listing to loud music and talking shit like normal teenagers do. It was good to pretend to be normal.

“Sooo, what do you think of Dylan?”, she asks, as she passes by his photos on Instagram.

Dylan was a guy from our Math class. He had long blond hair and a eternal stoned look. “Ugh”, I said in disgust. “He smells like marijuana. I get high just by sitting on his side!”.

She twirls a blond lock in her index finger, like she do when thinking. “I don’t know… I think he’s cute. He invited me to have coffee someday, so I could help him ‘study’”, she smiled as she did the air quotes. I chuckle and roll my eyes. “Honestly, I just want someone. I’m so tired of being alone”, she turns to me, blinking those huge blue eyes. “Have you ever french kissed?”

“Oh yeah”, I answer without thinking. “Err… I mean, I have once…”

A knock on the door saves me from her questions.

“Girls,” Dick calls, poking his head in. “Dinner’s ready.”

* * *

(Tim’s P.O.V.)

During my life, I’ve been to many dinners with my dad. Most of them are just old men bragging about their newest private island or trophy wife. Then I moved in with Bruce, and the dinners kept the same, only that now the people were younger, and their accomplishments were cars, manors or the new trendy start-up. Those dinner were boring and annoying. I hated them. But none of those dinners were as awkward as the one with Stephanie.

She sat between me and my sister, Dick at her front and Bruce on his left. Everytime our elbows bumped together, I felt an urge to get up and run away from the table. I just wanted to take Y/N’s hand and get the hell out of there. But instead, I sat quietly and ate the risotto and grilled fish that Alfred had prepared. I answered the questions about school with monosyllabic words, and avoided to make eye contact with Steph. Finally dessert, a delicious chocolate pudding, arrived. And then it was over.

I got up as soon as I took the last bite, justifying that I was anxious for the game, and ran towards old cuckoo clock and hid the secret stairwell that lead to the Batcave. Dick laughed the whole time while we got dressed, saying that I was so red he almost mistook me for a tomato.

But Gotham never fails to provide entertainment, and soon the dinner was forgotten and all that mattered was saving civilians lives.

* * *

(Jason’s P.O.V.)

Another day, another dealer. Just like the Lernaean hydra, no matter how many you took off the street, two others showed up to replace them. From where did all those drug dealers even come from?? Was there a factory that made them? They all looked the same, uneven hair, a thin beard that made their face look dirty, baggy clothes, fake gold jewels, and unlaced shoes.

I was about to pull the trigger on another when I heard someone landing hard on the rooftop I was crouching on. A goose bump ran through my back. _Batman._ I could feel him standing on my back, shadowing over me. I grip thigher on my gun and turn suddenly, pointing it to Batman’s chest. I know it’s useless, even if he wasn’t wearing a bullet-proof vest, he still would be fast enough to stop me before shooting. Honestly, I’m not so sure I could shoot him. I hate him for replacing me, I hate him for letting the Joker walk away with killing me, I hate him for not saving me. But underneath all this hate, I’m still his son. And I still love him for taking me off the streets, for giving me a home, a sense of purpose. For giving me love.

“Red Hood”, his voice echoes on the silence of the night. The dealers must have seen his silhouette and ran off. There’s no one here but us. “Put down the gun.”

“Or what?”, I say defiantly. Beneath my helmet, I grin. I can see his muscles contracting. Does he think I will aim to kill him or just to wound him? Or does he know I’m too much of coward to do either? I move the barrel slightly up, aiming it on his unprotected face. He takes a step forward, and I let him pull the gun away from my hands.

Then I do the unexpected, and lean backwards, towards the edge of the building. I give my legs just enough impulse to throw me falling into the darkness. He moves fast, his grappling hook soon grabbing me by the waist and keeping me suspended in middle air. I laugh loudly. It’s just three floors and with the huge trash bin filled of garbage bags, I would have walked off unharmed. Maybe just some bruises.

“What now, old man? Are you gonna pull me up and send my ass off to Arkham?”, I mock him.

“This selvagery has to stop. You wanted my attention, you got it.”

I begin to climb my way back up, and soon I’m face to face with him. It’s strange to be this close to him. I note that now I’m a few inches taller. Or maybe it could be the boots I’m wearing. Anyway, it feels good.

“You think I wanted you attention?”, I laugh at him. “Fuck you, B. If you want to bring me in, do it. Otherwise, just leave me alone. You’re good on that, aren’t you?”

I barely have time to register his fist coming in my direction, but my training kicks in, and I block the blow. I dive to his left, escaping his grip, and kick the back of his leg. He doesn’t lose his balance, and just turns to grab the line still connecting me to him. He thugs on it, pulling me closer. I pull out a gun from my holster and shoot the line, freeming myself. A batarang hits me on shoulder, but bounces off my armor as if it was nothing. Best thing of knowing the enemy's weapon is that you can counter them. I try to punch, but he deflects it. His next kick catches me off guard, and in reaction I pull the trigger of the gun I forgot I was holding. Lately they have become an extension of my arm, a movement as natural as punching. _Crack._ The bullet pierces through the fabric, just above his knee. He backs off surprised. I see the blood pouring out of the wound and for the first time ever, the sight makes me sick. I look at my hand, and see that during the rush to get free, I had grabbed an AP Pistol.

I take the opportunity to run out of his reach, down the firescape and back on street level. Even though I know he isn’t pursuing, I keep running until I reach my new ‘home’. I unload the pistol into the walls of the abandoned apartment building. Even though I live here alone (unless rats count as roommates), I make the point of slamming the door shut. I take off the helmet and throw it across the room. I jump on the bed fully dressed, and curse as I fall asleep. _Another day, another thing ruined. Doing great, Todd._


End file.
